Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, says President Bola Tinubu’s renewed attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity appears to have been triggered by a recent tweet from former US President Donald Trump.

Adebayo said Nigerians are facing intense economic hardship alongside rising insecurity, yet the government has not shown consistent urgency. According to him, issues like the surge in “one chance” kidnappings have been ignored for too long.

“If you conduct a public hearing of ‘one chance’ victims, there will be over a million. The only reason there is sensitivity to it now is because Trump sent a tweet,” he said.

He urged Tinubu’s administration to prioritise governance at all times, not only when global pressure mounts. “They should not be serious only when Trump is tweeting. They should be serious all the time,” he said, adding that effective governance would ensure no criminal group can keep Nigerians in captivity.

Adebayo praised the intelligence and capacity of Nigeria’s security personnel but lamented the lack of strong leadership to coordinate them effectively.

Reacting to the President’s directive that forests in high-risk states be cordoned off, he said the order came too late and should not have been publicly announced because criminals could easily change their routes. He also questioned the government’s inconsistency, noting how officials captured IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu abroad but have struggled to dismantle terror groups operating within Nigeria.

“This is a government that could capture somebody in Nairobi, Kenya, and bring him to trial, but has struggled to stop groups terrorising communities here,” he said.

Citing the swift crackdown on armed robber Lawrence Anini in the 1980s, Adebayo argued that decisive presidential instructions to the armed forces and police could yield similar results today. He also raised concerns about certain federal appointments, warning that weak leadership choices may be undermining the administration’s efforts.

On claims that opposition parties are sabotaging the government ahead of 2027, Adebayo dismissed the narrative and instead pointed to major gaps in Nigeria’s diplomatic presence in key countries.