Bolaji Abdullahi: Tinubu lives in a bubble, misled by aides on insecurity
Bolaji Abdullahi, interim national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to step out of the presidential villa and engage directly with Nigerians to understand the true scale of the country’s security crisis.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, Abdullahi criticised the presidency’s narrative on insecurity, particularly comments made by Daniel Bwala, a presidential aide.
Bwala had earlier claimed that insecurity in Nigeria had been “largely degraded,” describing current incidents of crime as “global tendencies unrelated to governance quality.”
But Abdullahi dismissed those remarks, accusing Bwala of presenting a distorted view of the country’s security situation.
“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.”
To underscore his point, the ADC spokesman cited the case of six law students abducted by kidnappers who are demanding a ransom of N120 million.
“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.”
Abdullahi said the president should leave the confines of the villa and seek direct input from ordinary citizens, rather than relying on filtered reports from aides and state governors.
“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 performance, Abdullahi downplayed debates over whether it should be seen as “half full or half empty,” arguing instead that the central question is whether Nigerians’ lives have improved.
He said the current economic situation has led to the collapse of many businesses—despite the fact that the owners did everything right.
