A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, called on Nigerians on Sunday to support President Bola Tinubu in the fight against insecurity in the country and stop negative criticism that can distract him.
Oyintiloye, in a statement forwarded to the Nigerian Tribune, said that the rate of insecurity in the country is becoming alarming, saying the development called for a sober reflection.
He emphasised that this is a period in which Nigerians need to rally around the president and his administration to find a common solution to the various insecurity challenges facing the country.
Oyintiloye, a former member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and lawmaker who represented Obokun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, condemned the recent killings, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and other criminalities by men of the underworld across the country, stressing that there is no doubt that the president was doing everything humanly possible to restore peace to the country.
According to him, this is a trying period for all Nigerians, who are saddened by the latest multiple killings and kidnappings ravaging the country.
He said that Nigerians must take solace in God while the government fashions out strategies to address the situation instead of negative criticism that will not solve the problem.
“No one is happy with the recent killings, banditry, terrorism, and kidnappings of other criminalities across the country, but negative criticism and name-calling by the leaders of the opposition parties is not the way forward.”.
“What we need at the critical period is for us as stakeholders to come together, irrespective of our political affiliation, religion, or tribe, and give the present administration the needed boost and encouragement.
“Security is a collective responsibility of everyone, and that is why I am appealing to leaders of the opposition parties to stop playing cheap politics with security issues and narratives that can divide the country,” he said.
Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, commended the president for prompt approval of funds from the security agencies for the purchase of modern equipment to fight insecurity.
He said the recent release of the N50 billion security vote to five northern states was a show of commitment by the president to minimise the spate of insecurity, but we need to extend the gesture across the country.
Oyintiloye, who noted that the primary responsibility of any government was to protect the lives and property of its citizens, said that was the reason why a large percentage of the 2024 budget was committed to security.
He, however, called on the president to look into developing security architectural frameworks that are community-based to effectively tackle insecurity in the nation.
Oyintiloye also called for a bottom-up approach to the security framework that would integrate every social strata of society, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, non-conventional security groups, and opinion leaders, in assisting security agencies in combating insecurity in their domains.
He urged Tinubu to mandate governors, as well as the Chief Security Officers of their respective states, to rise to the occasion to nip the insecurity in the bud by creating a community security network to support conventional security agencies in their various domains.
