Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has attacked the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for allegedly politicizing the abduction of the students and teachers from Oriire in Oyo State.
Akume excoriated Makinde on Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting with members of the Global Association of Christian and Muslim Youth for Peace and Development led by its President, Peter Asuquo Bassey.
The criticism followed the complaints by the Oyo State governor that he was yet to receive a call from the president over the abduction and release of the over 50 victims.
Akume downplayed the grievance by Makinde, noting what was before the president was weighty than a telephone call as that would not have resolved the problem at hand.
Akume said: “We live in a society where everything is politicised. Yes, we inherited difficult situations but we are improving by the day. I just had a meeting with the Italian Ambassador this afternoon and I told him that terror has no boundary. It is everywhere.
“I also assured him that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken the fight against insecurity very seriously. You could see the political sagacity and strategy of the president by ensuring the release of our dear ones who were held captives by these crooks
“Why would anyone hold people in captivity including the young ones if not for self-seeking opportunism. They are looking for money.
“When the noise was rife that the President didn’t place a phone call to someone, it doesn’t make sense. Would a telephone call to that person have resolved the case? Would those held captives have been released?
“No. It is the strategy being used to ensure the safety of those held in captivity that should be paramount. We should be interested in the release of these children and others. We should not be interested in a telephone call.
“This is why I tell people that Asiwaju (the President) is a doer. He is not a talker. He is like the Centurion of the old Roman Empire whose services were rendered in deeds and not in words.
“His leadership is defined by action and results. Nigerians wanted to see the safe return of those innocent children and, today, they have been rescued through the strategic efforts of our security agencies under the President’s leadership. That is what matters.”
He commended the President’s strategic leadership that culminated in the successful rescue of the abducted Oriire pupils and teachers, saying the President is a leader who backs his promises with decisive action.
The SGF said the successful rescue operation underscored the administration’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians through well-coordinated security operations rather than public grandstanding.
According to him, the federal government has adopted a deliberate and intelligence-driven approach to combating insecurity, stressing that terrorism and kidnapping required carefully planned security operations rather than political rhetoric.
