When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a national state of emergency, the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, oh so conveniently resigned. He says it is for health reasons. An average Nigerian will say, how naw.
Security is on fire. Kidnapping, banditry, killings everywhere. The man in charge of defence goes and writes a letter. To many people that is scandal. To others it looks like a clean way to escape pressure.
Let us not pretend. Journalists and news organisations had been saying the same thing for weeks. Badaru’s BBC interview where he talked about the limits of attacking terrorists in dense forests did not help. People said he sounded defeated. If your minister speaks defeat, what do you expect troops and citizens to feel? The resignation was not a surprise. Many thought he should have been shown the door earlier.
While the country worries, the presidency is moving fast. General Christopher Musa, the former Chief of Defence Staff who was recently relieved in a reshuffle, has been nominated as the new Minister of Defence. Some will celebrate. Others will worry we are simply recycling the same military options without fixing why those options failed in the first place. Expertise is welcome. But expertise without transparency, logistics and honest budgets will not stop kidnappers or reopen schools.
And yes, the police were pulled off VIP duty. The IGP recalled 11,566 officers to frontline work. That is the right kind of shock to the system. It is also only the start. Pulling men off convoys does not magically give them good radios, helicopters, or credible intelligence. Nigerians know the maths. You need people who can act, equipment that works, and leaders who tell the truth.
Do not forget the children. St Mary’s school in Papiri was hit and more than 300 pupils and staff were taken. About 50 of those pupils escaped. The rest are still missing. That is the kind of thing that makes mothers frantic and markets empty at dusk. That is what real failure looks like.
So what should happen next If this resignation is not the end but the start then do these few things. Publish the rescue plan with names and timelines. Tell citizens who is in charge and what success looks like. Lease satellite imagery and drones now while building national capacity. Train new recruits properly before you send them into forests. Stop pretending secret deals explain sudden releases. Let civil society and local leaders be part of security work. If you pick Musa, let him report weekly and show results. No more theatre. No more excuses.
This country is tired. We want our children back and our streets safe. A resignation letter is not a plan. Nigerians can smell theatre. Give us work, not words.
By Joshua Omoniyi
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