Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has said that Nigerians are experiencing worsening hardship and insecurity under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, insisting that governance must be assessed strictly by results rather than political loyalty, ethnicity, or sentiment.
In the same vein, he criticised the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, for his lack of emotional feelings for the suffering of Nigerians, saying that Atiku has never paid condolences to communities that were ravaged by insurgents.
Babachir made the remarks during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he spoke extensively on governance performance, national security, and the 2027 general elections.
Lawal said the realities in the country show that citizens across all regions are struggling, noting that leadership should be held accountable for outcomes rather than defended on identity grounds. He maintained that governance must reflect improvement in people’s daily lives, not just statements of intent or acknowledgement of problems.
Lawal said, “Bola has not been able to give us good governance. Even Nigerians believe that, except for you Yoruba, who say, even if he’s killing everybody, as long as he’s a Yoruba man, he’s okay with us. Yoruba people have that mindset.
He’s our son. He can do no wrong. Even if he’s doing wrong, we look the other way now. Even if there’s no other person alive, people still defend him. But I am not that kind of person.
“I judge governance by results, not by tribe or sentiment. Nigerians are suffering everywhere, whether in the North, South, East or West, and the government must be held accountable for that suffering”.
Insisting that insecurity remains one of the clearest indicators of governance failure, Lawal said repeated attacks on rural communities show that citizens are not adequately protected.
He argued that leadership must go beyond acknowledging insecurity to taking decisive action that prevents loss of lives.
Lawal said, “Insecurity is still one of the most urgent challenges. You cannot build a country where people are being killed in their villages and life continues as normal. Government cannot just keep acknowledging problems without solving them”.
He referenced incidents in local areas where, according to him, multiple lives were lost in violent attacks that did not receive sufficient national urgency, saying such situations weaken public trust in government and deepen frustration among citizens.
“When people are killed in villages, houses are burned, churches are destroyed, and nothing meaningful happens afterwards, it creates a sense that life is cheap. That is not how a government should operate”, Lawal said, maintaining that leadership must respond with urgency and visible action.
Speaking on his dumping the African Democratic Party (ADC), and his aversion to Atiku’s declaration as the presidential candidate of the party, Lawal said that “political leadership must be physically and emotionally present in moments of national crisis, especially in communities affected by insurgency, kidnappings, and violent attacks across the country.
“Have you ever seen Atiku pay condolences to communities where they were ravaged by this insurgency? Never. Have you ever heard him condemn Boko Haram killings? Never.
Have you ever seen him attend a wedding ceremony in a church? Never. Has he ever apologised to anybody for all these things? Never. What does that mean?
“This man is completely detached from what is bothering Nigerians. Completely detached”, Lawal said.
