The presidency has said that the Bola Tinubu-led administration has made substantial progress on security.
The Special Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, who made the remarks on Sunday during an interview on TVC, said the high rate of casualties across the countries that used to flood the cover pages of national newspapers has now been drastically reduced.
According to him, security no longer dominates discourse among Nigerians due to the actions of the government, adding that keeping the country safe is the foundation on which to build investors’ confidence.
“When you look at the progress made with respect to the national security situation in the country, I think it is important to note the reason why much of the conversation in the country is looking at things like the economy, looking at things like political development,” he said.
“This is really a testament to the fact that the national security situation has evolved to the extent that it is no longer the primary talking point in the country.
“Before now, a few months ago, a year ago, or two years ago, you opened a newspaper, and on the front page, you are going to be seeing massive numbers about casualties of people in different parts of the country, from the middle belt to the north-east to the north-west to the south-east, and at some point, even with agitations in the south-west.
“We have come a long way from that. Right now, you are not seeing those numbers now.
“Yes, there are still theatres where combat is going on, but it is really about taking what we have inherited to a conclusion rather than being on the backfoot dealing with threats that are wreaking havoc on our people.”
The president’s spokesperson also said there have been visible improvements on the security situation in the south-east.
“So, we have a lot of progress. If you look at the south-east today, you would have seen that there is a dramatic change in the narrative in Igbo land with respect to the security situation,” Ngelale added.
“We are not saying Nigerians should be clapping for us. What we are saying is that we have made substantial progress, and we are going to ensure that we take that process to its appropriate conclusion so that our people can live in peace, do business in peace.
“Ultimately, that is the foundation on which we will be able to attract the investments that we are aggressively promoting and attracting overseas.”