Insecurity: Frank Urges Buhari to Stop Grandstanding, Act on Obasanjo’s Letter
Political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to act on recommendations contained in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s open letter on Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Frank described Obasanjo’s letter as offering more solutions than criticism and argued that the Buhari administration should consider the suggestions rather than dismissing them for political reasons.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Frank said the security challenges confronting the country suggested that the Federal Government needed fresh ideas and described Obasanjo’s intervention as timely.
Obasanjo had written an open letter to Buhari proposing measures he believed could help address insecurity across Nigeria.
Reacting to the letter, Frank praised the former president for what he described as courage and patriotism in speaking publicly about the country’s security situation.
He also called on other former Nigerian leaders, including Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Yakubu Gowon, as well as other prominent national figures, to offer suggestions on how the crisis could be addressed.
Frank noted that Buhari had himself been critical of Obasanjo’s administration in the past and argued that the government should therefore focus on the substance of the former president’s recommendations rather than responding by highlighting his previous shortcomings.
He warned that history would judge political leaders by how they responded to Nigeria’s security challenges and urged the administration to treat the situation as a national rather than partisan issue.
Frank also criticised comments attributed to then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, suggesting that insecurity had been brought under control.
According to him, continuing attacks, killings and kidnappings in different parts of the country contradicted claims that the security situation had been effectively contained.
He argued that insecurity affected Nigerians regardless of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity or region and therefore required cooperation across political and social divides.
Frank further questioned what he described as conflicting statements from the military leadership, noting that Buratai had previously expressed concerns about the morale of some troops.
He accused government officials of relying too heavily on optimistic public statements while Nigerians continued to experience attacks in several parts of the country, including Katsina State.
Frank therefore called on the Federal Government to concentrate on practical measures capable of improving security rather than what he described as political grandstanding.
He also urged political leaders, former officeholders, civil society figures and other influential Nigerians to speak openly and contribute ideas toward addressing the security crisis.
According to him, remaining silent in the face of widespread insecurity and injustice would do little to help the country overcome its challenges.
