The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a searing criticism of President BolaÀ Ahmed Tinubu’s handling of Nigeria’s security crisis following US President Donald Trump’s October 31, 2025, decision to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the US action should serve as a wake-up call for Nigeria’s leaders. The party noted that beyond diplomacy and politics, the real issue is the human toll of insecurity, stressing that “what is really at stake on this issue are the thousands of human lives that have been lost to insecurity in Nigeria, irrespective of their tribe, religion or region.”
The ADC said Trump’s declaration reflected growing international concern about Nigeria’s inability to protect its citizens. According to the statement, “the dignity and respect of nations are no longer measured by their economic strength alone, but also by their willingness and capacity to protect their own citizens.”
The opposition party accused the Tinubu administration of failing in its most fundamental duty, safeguarding lives. Citing figures from various reports, the ADC revealed that “nearly 15,000 lives have been lost to sundry violent activities since this administration assumed office in 2023.” It added that “entire communities have been sacked, worshippers have been slaughtered in religious spaces, and bandits now control large territories in our country.”
Highlighting how insecurity has spread beyond traditional hotspots, the statement pointed out that on the same day Trump made his announcement, “another terror group, JNIM, an Al-Qaeda affiliate which had been active in the Sahel region, announced a successful attack in Kwara State.” The ADC warned that this showed terrorism was moving dangerously closer to the southern part of the country.
The party also accused the government of denial and indifference. “The problem is that President Tinubu has refused to acknowledge that the crisis has got worse under his watch and has refused to accept responsibility,” the statement said, adding that citizens have been met instead with “excuses, cruel silence or utter indifference.”
Beyond the security failures, the ADC decried Nigeria’s weakened international standing, linking it to what it called the administration’s diplomatic negligence. It questioned the continued absence of ambassadors in key countries more than two years into the government’s term, asking: “How can a government that has been boasting of unprecedented revenue success continue to give lack of fund as excuse for not appointing ambassadors?”
The statement further lamented that “under President Tinubu, Nigeria has declined both as a continental and a regional leader,” blaming what it described as “a government that is so incompetent, so narrow-minded, and yet so blindly arrogant.”
To address the crisis, the ADC recommended sweeping reforms, including “a full overhaul of the national security apparatus,” the “immediate appointment of qualified ambassadors,” and “a reset of foreign policy, grounded in national interest, not personal promotion.”
The statement ended with a call for urgent national action. “Nigeria is not beyond saving, but time is running out. We must act now, with courage, clarity, and a commitment to protect the lives and dignity of every Nigerian,” Abdullahi said.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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