Buhari To Service Chiefs: I’ve Heard Enough Of The Excuses, Buckle Up!

Amidst Nigeria’s rising security challenges, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, meet with service chiefs and hand them a note of warning to buckle up their efforts to tackle insecurity, saying his administration would no longer tolerate excuses.

Buhari, at the meeting expressed displeasure over the state of insecurity in the country, warning the service chiefs that their best is not good enough in respect to their handling of security matters in the country.

He said that his administration campaign to power on the platform of three issues, fighting insecurity being the main, therefore, would no longer accept any further escalation of the security situation in the country.

According to Babagana Monguno, national security adviser (NSA), who addressed state house correspondent after the meeting, the president was briefed on how the rising security challenges across the country are being tackled.

He said; “A meeting was just concluded between Mr. President and heads of the security agencies, that is the operational heads consisting minister of defence, the service chiefs and on the other hand, the intelligence components that is consisting of myself and the intelligence heads,” Monguno said.

“Today’s meeting basically focused on recent developments. Mr. President has expressed great concern over the declining security situation in the country. He is extremely unhappy about what is happening and he feels that, even though the security agencies are doing their best, their best is not good enough for him and wants immediate reversal of the current trend and immediate reversal of our misfortunes in all their dimensions.

“Mr. President also told us clearly in no uncertain terms, that he and indeed the administration campaign to power on the platform of three issues, fighting insecurity, overcoming our economic difficulties and dealing with the scourge of corruption. More so, he noted that it takes common sense for anyone to understand that without security, the pursuit of the other two will just be an exercise in futility.

“He, therefore, warned the security agencies to take into consideration the wider implication of the gradual decent of the security of this country, he is not going to accept any further escalation of the security situation. He also stated, that no one was forced on him, he selected everyone individually based on what he feels their records had revealed and therefore, it is up to individual organisation to live up to the expectations.

“Again, Mr. President has also said that, it is extremely important that we in the security agencies, must ensure that we justify the leadership by not disappointing the populace. He also pointed out the immediate areas of concern and these areas are also interlinked and we must find a way out, especially the issue of proliferation of drugs, small arms and light weapons. These two issues also go hand in hand with the major issues of criminality in this country, be there banditry on one hand on the north west of Nigeria or terrorism in the north-east.”