Group Accuses Past Govts of Complicity, Says Tinubu Must Deepen Anti-Terror Crackdown

…Endorses 2027 re-election bid, citing improved FAAC revenue and regional development strides.

…Appeals for global support as Nigeria battles insurgency, kidnapping and extremist mobilisation.

A socio-cultural group, Majeobaje has urged president Bola Tinubu to take tougher action against terrorism, saying past governments’ reluctance to expose perpetrators had fuelled “allegations of official complicity.”

Speaking at a press conference in Ibadan on Monday, the group said Tinubu had made “meaningful and measurable” impact across all sectors in the past two and a half years.

Chief Akin-Deko said, “Enough of this tolerance of lawlessness. The only effective response to these evil people and their backers is uncompromising force through the powers of the state.”

He called on President Tinubu to “hurry up and secure our nation” by disarming and prosecuting terrorist groups and their sponsors, including individuals “fingered in the famous UAE report.”

Akin-Deko equally expressed concern over rising youth radicalisation, from almajiri children in the North to armed groups in the Niger Delta and the “growing menace of Area boys across the South-West.”

The group appealed to Nigeria’s allies to mobilise more support for the country’s anti-insurgency efforts, arguing that sustained security is essential for economic progress.

The group further declared their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that he deserves a second term in office ahead of 2027 General Elections.

Representing the organisation, Chief Akintayo Akin-Deko said Tinubu had not only stabilised the economy but had also begun to reverse the deteriorating security situation nationwide.

Akin-Deko recalled that Nigeria’s security challenges began intensifying around 2014 with armed herdsmen and kidnappers, before escalating into “rampant killings by IPOB gunmen, bandits and terrorists” by 2019.

He added that many of these terrorist networks were believed to have links to Islamic jihadists, noting that even the U.S. Army had at one point warned of intervening to protect Christians in parts of Nigeria.

He said the situation made it necessary for citizens to “stand firm and wholeheartedly embrace the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

According to the group, Tinubu has demonstrated “bold and technocratic leadership” in confronting long-standing structural problems.

Akin-Deko described the President as a trained accountant, former multinational executive and two-term governor of Lagos State, a background which, he said, has equipped him to serve as “a professionally sound technocrat, who understands governance, appreciates the conditions that attract foreign investment, and is above all, a problem-solver.”

He noted that Majeobaje, a non-partisan organisation of farmers, professionals, academicians and businesspeople, had long advocated for region-based development and good governance.

Tinubu’s first two years in office, he said, had shown a clear alignment with these values.

On the economy, the group defended the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira in 2023, describing them as difficult but necessary decisions to avert national bankruptcy.

Though the measures caused immediate hardship, Akin-Deko said they had since led to a “huge financial windfall” for all tiers of government, with FAAC allocations rising from N655 billion in April 2023 to N2.1 trillion in September 2025.

He added that the N6.9 trillion provided for constituency projects in the 2025 budget represented “the most targeted funding Nigerians have ever had,” giving lawmakers unprecedented resources to address local development needs.

He stressed that citizens must now hold public officials accountable to ensure the funds are used for their intended purposes.

Majeobaje also commended the establishment of the South-West Development Commission (SWDC), signed into law on 24 March 2025 with an initial allocation of N674 billion.

Akin-Deko said the initiative would “enable true federalism to become the mechanism for unfettered regional development.”

The group criticised opponents of the administration’s reforms, describing them as “economic saboteurs and their foreign backers” seeking to undermine national progress.

It warned Nigerians to resist actions capable of reversing the gains of the current government.

Akin-Deko said Tinubu inherited “a greatly compromised national security landscape,” citing past incidents such as the arrest of Iskilu Wakili in Oyo State in 2021 and the Owo church massacre in 2022.

He condemned past instances where security operatives were accused of collusion with terrorists, and criticised the former Inspector-General of Police for banning shotguns used by licensed hunters “while herdsmen were spotted moving with AK-47 rifles.”

However, he noted improvements under Tinubu, including increased defence spending from N1.55 trillion in 2023 to N6.57 trillion in 2025, fresh recruitment and training of personnel, and the restructuring of security architecture for better coordination.

He also cited the revamped National Forest Guards as evidence of strengthened rural security.

Responding to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Nigeria was committing genocide against Christians, the group described the statement as “prejudicial and exaggerated.”

Akin-Deko acknowledged attacks on Christian communities but insisted the situation was “nowhere near” the description given by Trump.

He warned that foreign powers often used such narratives as subterfuge to justify intervention and resource exploitation.

He said the controversy nonetheless offers Nigeria an opportunity to reflect and move toward national reconciliation based on justice, fairness and equity.

The group said Tinubu has shown in two years that he is “ready, willing and able” to implement radical policies capable of transforming the nation.
It rejected calls for coups or foreign intervention and said opposition parties lacked the leadership capacity required at this time.

Majeobaje therefore urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, expressing confidence that with a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and the states, the administration would be able to carry out necessary constitutional reforms.

“We therefore urge Nigerians to embrace President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and, come 2027, support his second term bid,” Chief Akin-Deko said.