Tinubu Sets Deadline To Tackle Insecurity In Nigeria

Tinubu Sets Deadline To Tackle Insecurity In Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu’s deadline of December 2025 for the armed forces to resolve insecurity in Nigeria marks a significant shift in how he is approaching his role as Commander-in-Chief. Unlike the typical “marching orders” that have become ineffective and often ignored by military and police personnel, this new directive holds a clear target and a firm timeline.

Historically, the armed forces and police have waited for these orders to avoid any missteps, as seen with former Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, who was removed by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013 after successfully tackling Boko Haram, due to unsubstantiated allegations from some Northern leaders and Amnesty International.

Throughout his eight years in office, President Muhammadu Buhari regularly issued “marching orders” to his Service Chiefs, but Boko Haram’s influence spread from the North-East to the North-Central, while bandits took control of the North-West. The government failed to recognize herdsmen terrorists as a security threat.

If President Tinubu remains steadfast in his commitment and supports the military with strong political will, there is hope for significant progress by December 2025, even if it is not a complete success.

Setting targets and assessing progress are standard practices in the business world, and Tinubu is bringing this approach to government. This contrasts with Buhari’s leadership, which often allowed officials to pursue personal agendas, leading to inefficiency, corruption, and inactivity.

The public and media will hold the government accountable, with the target providing a clear benchmark for evaluation by year-end.

Additionally, the military, under Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, has been more transparent with the media, providing updates on progress and challenges faced. We urge the military to allow defense correspondents access to report from the front lines, as is common in other countries.

However, simply setting targets is not enough. Adequate funding, equipment, and support for the military must be ensured, and there must be consequences for performance. Promotions and assignments should be based on merit, not ethnicity, and more must be done to dismantle the networks that support, protect, and fund terrorists.

We look forward to evaluating the military’s performance against Tinubu’s targets by December.