Public Policy Analyst and International Development Expert, Abba Kaka, has warned that Nigeria’s international image is being severely damaged by rising insecurity and poor governance, urging President Bola Tinubu to wake up to the worsening crisis and take decisive action to protect citizens.
Speaking on ARISE News on Friday, Kaka said the recent criticism of Nigeria’s government by US President Donald Trump has exposed “the rot in the system” and should serve as a wake-up call for Nigerian leaders.
“The Nigerian brand is definitely affected. It’s tarnished, it’s kind of damaged,” he said. “But as responsible and patriotic citizens, when there is a crisis in a country, we are expected to rally around the government regardless of our differences. It’s not because the government is doing well, but because 99.9% of Nigerians have no other home than here.”
He condemned the growing disregard for human life in Nigeria, stressing that religion should not distract from the scale of killings.
“It’s very unfortunate that human life in Nigeria doesn’t matter anymore. We shouldn’t be distracted by how many Muslims or Christians are killed. The point is that so many citizens are being killed, and that should be enough for the government to wake up, because there is something wrong with the way we are going right now,” he said.
Kaka also noted that the situation escalated after a tweet by the US President drew global attention to Nigeria’s insecurity, prompting calls for sanctions.
“One tweet from the President of the United States exposed the rot in the system. If there are going to be sanctions, they should target the elites — political and military — responsible for these failures,” he said.
He faulted US delegations for visiting only limited parts of Nigeria during their investigations, suggesting that a more balanced assessment would have shown the full extent of the crisis.
“When several delegations came to Nigeria, they did not visit major affected states like Borno, Katsina or Zamfara. They only went to Benue and Plateau. Even when they passed through Bama to reach Goza, they ignored the Muslim communities and focused on the Christian parts. That was a missed opportunity for a balanced view,” he said.
Calling for urgent reform in the security sector, Kaka lamented that despite massive defence spending, the situation continues to deteriorate.
“Enough should be enough. The President needs to wake up and accept that something is wrong. It’s not just about changing service chiefs — that is superficial,” he said. “Bandits run freely in markets across Katsina and Gusau. Abuja itself is not safe. What happened to the Nigerian military? We spend billions of dollars yearly, and yet insecurity keeps rising.”
He said foreign powers’ growing concern should compel the Nigerian government to examine its conscience and policies.
“If a foreign power points fingers at you, look at where the finger is pointing. What are they seeing that you are not seeing? Examine your conscience and your policies,” he advised.
Kaka also linked the renewed US attention to geopolitical shifts in Africa, suggesting that the Trump administration’s stance is as much about regaining influence as it is about human rights.
“This is more of a geoeconomic message. The US is losing influence in West Africa as China and Russia expand theirs. This criticism is also about influence — but it’s working, because everyone is now on their toes,” he said.
He concluded by stressing that the priority should be protecting Nigerian lives, not engaging in political or diplomatic distractions.
“The government is responsible for these killings. There’s widespread failure in security, and the people are going through a lot. The President must fix security in the next two years before the election — that’s what we need,” Kaka said.
Boluwatife Enome
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