former Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC),Yabagi Sani has warned that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, democratic decline and economic hardship stem largely from a government that is “economical with the truth” and unwilling to hold officials accountable.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Monday, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) leader said the country was “in serious trouble” because citizens were being shielded from the full truth about security failures, governance lapses and institutional decay.
“We’re in trouble in this country because government is becoming more and more economical with the truth. They don’t want citizens to know what is really happening,” Sani said.
Using recent mass kidnappings as an example, Sani questioned the conflicting official narratives surrounding the release of abducted children.
“First they said 50 escaped, then 100 were released, then suddenly 130 were freed. By calculation, that means some children are still with the kidnappers. They say they were rescued, but nobody is telling us how many kidnappers were neutralised or whether any soldier was lost. Nothing is adding up,” he said.
Sani argued that a serious government must be transparent when addressing issues that affect lives, stressing that secrecy fuels distrust.
“When you say ‘rescue’, it means there was combat. So tell us the facts. As a serious government, you must be factual when addressing citizens on issues that touch their lives.”
He described kidnapping as a “full-blown industry”, alleging complicity within state institutions.
“We keep hearing that people who are supposed to protect us are selling arms to bandits. Even state actors are involved. Government must completely rearrange the security architecture.”
According to him, changing individuals without fixing systemic failures will never solve Nigeria’s security crisis.
“Changing faces in a broken system can never fix our security problem. You remove someone today and bring them back tomorrow and tell us that is the solution. That is propaganda.”
Sani said insecurity persists because failure is rewarded instead of punished.
“When service chiefs were retired, what appened? They were rewarded. Some even got ambassadorial appointments. These people failed the system, yet failure was rewarded.”
He insisted that accountability is the missing link.
“You don’t give people trillions of naira to fix insecurity and get no results, and nobody is questioned. Nobody is taken before a judicial panel. What do you expect?”
The ADP chairman said his party would adopt a zero-tolerance approach if given the mandate.
“We will hold people accountable. It’s very easy. If a commander is in charge of an area and anything happens, he should go. You sign your resignation before you take the job.”
Sani accused the current administration of complicity, saying negligence within security agencies reflects on the presidency.
“Any police officer selling arms is an employee of government. What has government done? This is why I say government is complicit.”
On democracy, Sani criticised the refusal of the House of Representatives to criminalise vote-buying during party primaries.
“Vote-buying is a criminal offence everywhere in the world. They refuse to criminalise it because that’s how they got there — through money, not merit.”
He argued that Nigeria’s opposition is deliberately weakened by a constitutional structure that concentrates power in the presidency.
“The president appoints those who supervise elections — INEC, the police. It’s like one team appointing all the referees in a football match. What do you expect?”
Sani further accused the executive of collapsing the separation of powers.
“The National Assembly passes everything the president brings because he hand-picked the leadership. You’ve turned the legislature into one man’s estate.”
He warned that democracy can collapse not only through coups, but through suffocation.
“When you squeeze opposition space and remove checks and balances, you suffocate democracy. And suffocation collapses democracy.”
Despite his criticism, Sani said Nigeria remains salvageable if leadership changes course.
“Nigeria is blessed. All we need is a serious president with fear of God, a sense of legacy, and the courage to stop playing politics and start governing.”
He pledged that an ADP-led government would run an inclusive administration.
“I will take Nigeria as my constituency. It doesn’t matter your ethnicity or religion. If you are Nigerian and you can deliver, you belong.”
Sani concluded that without truth, accountability and genuine reform, the country’s crises would persist.
“This government is ignoring the truth. And that is why we are in this mess.”
Boluwatife Enome
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