Bolaji Abdullahi: Governors, aides feeding Tinubu wrong narratives about state of the nation

Bolaji Abdullahi, interim national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says President Bola Tinubu must speak directly with citizens to grasp the true state of insecurity.

Abdullahi spoke on Wednesday during Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he faulted Daniel Bwala, a presidential aide, for downplaying the security crisis in the country.

Bwala, who appeared earlier on the show, said insecurity had been “largely degraded” and insisted that crimes being recorded were “global tendencies unrelated to governance quality”.

But Abdullahi said the president is insulated from reality, alleging that his aides feed him “false narratives” of progress.

“I feel sorry for President Tinubu because if this is the kind of narrative he gets to hear all the time, then it’s obvious he lives in a bubble,” he said.

He added that Bwala was “painting a picture of El Dorado, as if the country is in a perfect state”.

Abdullahi cited the abduction of six law students whose captors are “demanding N120 million,” saying their plight contradicts claims that insecurity has been degraded.

“He was talking about insecurity being degraded, yet there are six law students still missing,” he said.

“Imagine the parents of these children, who were simply going to school, being abducted. And kidnappers have the nerve to actually demand N120 million to release these children.

“These children are still in captivity as I speak, and someone sits here to tell us that insecurity is being degraded.

“I actually think President Tinubu needs to leave the villa, go out on the streets, and talk to people—and stop listening to this kind of narrative.

“He also needs to stop listening to state governors, who are only saying what they think will endear them to power, rather than telling him the true feelings of the people.”

On the administration’s two-year scorecard, Abdullahi dismissed arguments over whether its performance is “half full or half empty,” saying the real issue is whether citizens’ lives have improved.

The ADC spokesperson added that many businesses had collapsed in the current economic climate despite their owners doing nothing wrong.