The Presidency on Wednesday dismissed renewed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign over the recent surge in kidnappings and insecurity across Nigeria, insisting that the current security challenges differ significantly from those faced during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Mr. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, acknowledged the government’s concern over the wave of kidnappings but stressed that the administration remains firmly in control.
“The government is concerned, not only about perception but the reality Nigerians are facing. It is a trying period,” Bwala said, adding that insecurity in Nigeria often follows predictable patterns and that large ungoverned spaces, particularly in the North, create opportunities for criminals.
He defended the federal government’s handling of recent abductions, reiterating a zero-tolerance policy on paying ransom and dismissing claims that the government negotiated with kidnappers as “classic propaganda” by terrorists.
On the issue of calls for President Tinubu’s resignation, Bwala said: “People have the right to express themselves. But constitutionally, calling for resignation is not the same as initiating the process. I have not personally heard any credible call for resignation.”
Comparing the current administration to the Jonathan era, he added, “At the time, the Jonathan administration seemed to lack solutions and was even in denial about certain incidents. So yes, in that context, calls for resignation were legitimate. Today, the situations differ.”
Bwala highlighted what he described as achievements under the Tinubu administration, claiming prison breaks and daylight kidnappings in Abuja, common before, have stopped and that the leaders of terrorist group Ansaru were recently arrested, earning commendation from the United States.
He also noted that the Safe Schools Initiative has been launched, consolidating isolated schools into secure mega-schools; and recruitment into the police and military has been expanded.
Bwala added that VIP police escorts are being recalled and Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) redeployed strategically.
I said it clearly on Channels TV this morning, and I will repeat it here without blinking. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria will not bow to terrorists, foreign pressure, or any orchestrated narrative;
“We cannot promise zero incidents. Nigeria’s borders are porous, and our security personnel are limited. But the government is taking preventive and responsive measures,” he said.
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