Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, says the security in the North has improved despite a claim by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, that the North had been overrun by bandits.
Adesina said the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, would attest to the fact that security had drastically improved.
The President’s aide said this on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’.
Adesina had boasted that the Federal Government had been able to tackle insecurity.
When confronted with the Sultan’s statement, and if it was not proof that Buhari had failed, Adesina said, “You are using that failure too broadly. You don’t take one, two, three events and then you conclude that it is all failure.
“You will get to some other parts of the North and they will tell you that things are a lot better. Even Governor Zulum who is in Borno State, which is like the epicentre of the insurgency, will tell you that the situation in that state is far better than it was in 2015.”
He said people should judge Buhari based on what he met on the ground and not just his promises.
The spokesman said when the President took over in 2015, several local governments were under Boko Haram occupation but things had improved drastically.
When asked if there were consequences for lapses in insecurity in 2020, Adesina added, “What did the government meet? 17 local governments under full occupation by Boko Haram, emirs had fled their palaces, roads had been locked, and NYSC orientation camps were not open in many states in the country but look at the situation in the country today? It is a lot better.”
The President’s spokesman argued that a lot of promises made by Buhari could not be fulfilled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He, however, claimed that despite this challenge, his boss had been able to make several achievements.
Adesina stated, “You know 2020 will not be the real benchmark year for most of these things because a lot of the things promised in that letter could not also be actualised to the letter because from March, the country, indeed the world was on suspended animation.
“There were lockdowns everywhere and it lasted till the last quarter of that year. So, 2020 will not be a good benchmark but it is to the advantage of this government that most of the things promised were not accomplished 100 per cent but a good number of them were accomplished despite low earnings, despite the economy not functioning at full throttle.”
