OBIDIENT MOVEMENT SLAMS PRESIDENT TINUBU’S VISIT TO BENUE, CALLS IT ‘BELATED REACTION’
Written by Oluwaseyi Amosun on June 18, 2025
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, has described President Bola Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue State as a “belated reaction,” criticising the administration for what he termed a pattern of indifference to escalating violence and insecurity in several parts of the country.
Dr. Tanko made the remark while speaking in an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, on Wednesday, where he dissected the President’s recent visit to Benue State and other pressing national issues.
Recall that on Friday, 13, 2025, no fewer than 147 people were killed in the latest round of attacks in Yelewata near Makurdi, the state capital.
According to him, the President’s visit to Benue was not only late but symptomatic of a pattern of government negligence.
“For us in the Obidient Movement, this is a belated visit,” Tanko said. “It is not the first time these kinds of attacks are happening. They have occurred repeatedly in Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, and Benue, yet what we see is inaction until lives have been lost.
He decried what he termed the federal government’s knee-jerk response of distributing food palliatives and relief items after mass killings, instead of offering lasting security solutions.
“Nobody has been arrested. Has anyone asked why the attacks happened? Have the victims been asked to tell their stories?” he queried. “It’s as though something is going on behind the scenes that Nigerians don’t know about. We want answers.”
“Noodles is not the solution to insecurity. It’s a shame that when Nigerians are being slaughtered, the government’s response is to show up late with cartons of food. Do the lives of Nigerians not matter at all?” he questioned.
Reacting to the recent claim by The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who described the country’s security funding as a national embarrassment, insisting that the meagre allocation to critical security agencies, such as the Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), makes a mockery of the fight against terrorism and transborder crimes, Tanko said it show the incapacity of the government who has failed to see the recurring problems.
Tanko said the security challenge is deeply rooted and has been mishandled across multiple administrations. “This issue is not new to the security surf of Nigeria. Insecurity did not start with this government, we know that. Neither did it started with the administration of Former President, Buhari. It’s been happening since the time of President Goodluck Jonathan when the Boko Haram insurgents were active and continued under Muhammadu Buhari. The problem was never uprooted from the grassroots, which has international coalition.” he explained.
He criticised President Tinubu for assuming office without a clear and prepared strategy to address the nation’s insecurity.
Meanwhile, The Obidient Movement leader emphasized that only a bold, strategic approach can reverse the tide, calling on the President to declare a national state of emergency on security.
“Security-wise, the whole country needs a state of emergency. We cannot keep playing politics while lives are being lost daily,” he warned. “There are ways of you declaring a state of emergency. You can declare a state of emergency in security in Benue state or any other state. In fact, the whole country needs a state of emergency. There are people killed Borno, Taraba. Even if it’s one life lost, we must ensure we protect the lives of the citizens. This just shows incompetence of the leaders we have” He stated.
On democracy, Dr. Tanko sharply criticized President Tinubu’s June 12 Democracy Day speech, describing it as an ironic display of authoritarian undertones cloaked in democratic language.
“His speech shows clearly that he is not a democrat. You cannot be celebrating democracy while watching democratic institutions decay and opposition parties collapse under political pressure,” he said.
He accused the President of stoking internal crises within his own party and allegedly supporting the disintegration of opposition forces as a tactic for consolidating control.
“The President saying he takes delight in the chaos within other political parties is undemocratic. But let me remind him—his admiration for disarray in other parties will come back to haunt them in APC and we can already see it playing out.”
Dr. Tanko further called on the international community to closely monitor the conduct of President Tinubu and his administration.
“There should be a democratic watchlist on this administration. The world needs to know that what is happening here is a slow descent into authoritarianism,” he asserted. “This government is tilting toward dictatorship, and that should worry everyone who believes in democracy.”
He urged civil society, the media, and Nigerians at large not to remain silent, adding that defending democracy is not just the work of politicians, but of all citizens.
Eagle Fm