President Bola Tinubu has been described as a veteran captain who would safely guide Nigeria through its current turbulent situation.

George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), said this when the management of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited him on Wednesday in Abuja.

The NAN delegation, led by Ali M. Ali, managing director of the agency, includes the director of administration, Abdulkadi Khaliel, and the editor-in-chief, Ephraims Sheyin.

The aim of the visit was to brief Akume on the forthcoming inaugural Annual International Lecture by NAN on Oct. 3.

The theme of the lecture is ‘Insecurity in the Sahel (2008-2024): Dissecting Nigeria’s Challenges—Genesis, Impacts and Options.’

The SGF described the state of Nigeria that Mr Tinubu inherited as a situation akin to a pilot taking off in turbulent weather.

He added that such a pilot must be experienced to ensure a safe landing.

“Tinubu’s government is like a plane that takes off in turbulent weather, but when a plane takes off in turbulent weather, it’s not easy to control. But when you have a pilot who is very skilful, he knows where he is going, he knows there’s a problem, but the problem is his landing, yes he will land us safely—that’s why he is a veteran captain,” he said.

While describing NAN’s forthcoming lecture as a ‘wonderful initiative,’ Mr Akume said the media sector has a critical role to play in disseminating information on government policies and programs to educate the public.

“This is a very wonderful initiative. There is no way you can conduct any meaningful and purposeful summit and conference in this country now without having very rich content on security. And for those of you in the media, you have a critical role to play, and that’s why your forthcoming lecture is one of these roles you are playing to disseminate this information through such an initiative about government policy,” he said.

The SGF explained that the security architecture had been redesigned by the present administration, adding that things have started to improve gradually in the country.

Speaking earlier, Mr Ali lauded Mr Akume for the tremendous achievements recorded by his office since the inception of the present administration.

Mr Ali said the lecture was imperative given Nigeria’s state of insecurity and NAN’s position in disseminating news on an international level.

“We are here to inform you of our impending first international lecture organised by the News Agency of Nigeria. We are here to let you know firsthand and also to invite you formally,” he said.

While discussing the choice of the topic, Mr Ali said NAN management was focusing on insecurity not only as a disturbing issue in Nigeria but also within the Sahel region.

“Actually, we are looking at insecurity in the Sahel region, and that’s why it is an international lecture. The insecurity is becoming a serious issue, and we restricted it to between 2008 and 2024 as part of the national effort to enliven public discourse on the debilitating challenges of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and militancy, among others,” he said.

He used the visit to commend the efforts of Mr Tinubu’s government in its commitment to combating insecurity by equipping the Nigerian Armed Forces to address the situation across the country.

“So, we are looking at all of these beyond the shores of Nigeria. We are convinced at the editorial board of the News Agency of Nigeria to look at this beyond Nigeria and into the Sahel region, which has remained a hotbed of crisis,” Mr Ali said.

(NAN)