The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s recruitment of 1,000 forest guards following the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Mr Tinubu sent a high-powered delegation to Esiele and Yawota communities to convey his deep concerns over the unfortunate abduction.

As part of immediate measures to strengthen security in the area, the delegation announced the president’s approval for the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in the state in collaboration with the state government.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Friday, Mr Obi said the action demonstrated poor leadership and a reactive approach to the security challenges in the country.

“In a hasty effort to be perceived as attentive and courageous, it is reported that President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of about 1000 forest guards for Oyo State. 

“This is a further demonstration of poor leadership and attending to very serious governance and security issues with a reactive approach. It is the same reactive approach that led to the sudden removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira that has caused irreparable damage to ordinary Nigerians and the economy,” the politician stated.

Mr Obi, who decried the killings of over 10, 000 Nigerians across the country, added, “The pervasive insecurity we currently have is directly related to the failure of our ecosystem, particularly leadership. It is only failure in leadership that can lead to the death of over 10,000 innocent Nigerians since 2023, and Nigeria is ranked among the top-most terror-affected countries in the world.”

The politician stated that while recruiting more security personnel for Oyo state and the country was important, it should be done in a more organised and well-thought-out manner. 

He added, “Presently, almost all the 36 states in Nigeria are experiencing different forms of insecurity, with Oyo, Plateau, Kwara, Kogi, Borno, Katsina, Anambra, Niger, Imo, and Sokoto being very alarming.”

The NDC chieftain further questioned the motive behind the step in light of the security challenges across the states, noting the recruitment of forest guards might affect the performance of local security outfit like Amotekun in the South-West.

“The question, such as the reactive approach of our President, is whether all the states will receive the same approval to recruit 1000 forest guards per state, that is 37, 000 forest guards for the 36 states and Abuja or is the recruitment approval based on the mood of the President? Moreover, with the approval for Oyo, what will happen to the Amotekun Corps that is trying its best to secure South-West Nigeria? Will they be disbanded in Oyo state?,” the politician explained. 

Mr Obi advocated holistic approach to addressing insecurity, adding failure of leadership could degenerate into bigger challenges.

“Addressing our insecurity situation requires a holistic or what can be described as an ecosystem approach. With failure in leadership, there is failure in unifying our dear nation, failure in industrialisation, failure in harnessing our abundant resources in agriculture, minerals, tourism, water, sports and even oil and gas to effectively generate required revenue, growth and particularly jobs for our exponentially growing youth population,” the politician added.