…Expert Calls for Bold Security and Governance Reforms to Restore Nigeria’s Global Standing
A former Director General of the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency (PPBA), Dr Joseph Lengmang, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to transform Nigeria’s current security and governance challenges into a defining moment of national renewal, stressing that only bold, transparent, and justice-driven reforms can restore the country’s pride and credibility before the international community.
Lengmang, in a press statement signed and issued in Jos on Monday, urged President Bola Tinubu to treat recent criticisms from former U.S. President Donald Trump not as an affront, but as a wake-up call to fix the country’s systemic failures.
“When a superpower like the United States begins to question Nigeria’s capacity to protect its own citizens, it is not merely a diplomatic embarrassment it is a national wake-up call.”
He noted that Trump’s comments reflect the world’s perception of Nigeria’s fragility and insecurity, underscoring the urgent need for decisive leadership. “This moment should not provoke outrage,“ saying it should invite deep reflection.
According to him, decades of governmental failures to secure lives and guarantee welfare have left Nigeria exposed to internal decay and international doubts.
He emphasised that President Tinubu must not deny these weaknesses but redefine them through reform-driven governance that restores national confidence and sovereignty.
Lengmang recommended a series of transformative actions, starting with the refocusing of Nigeria’s national security priorities anchored on clear timelines, measurable outcomes, and independently audited defense expenditures.
“The era of opaque budgets and unaccountable security votes must end. Transparency is not a sign of weakness; it is the highest expression of national strength”
He also called for the courageous dismantling of entrenched corruption within the security sector, arguing that Nigerians no longer believe the system is broken they believe it is rigged, adding that Visible accountability is key to rebuilding public trust and demonstrating that the fight for sovereignty includes a fight against corruption.
Lengmang urged a shift from the obsession with arms procurement to a holistic security reform that prioritises military doctrine, welfare, and intelligence coordination, saying Soldiers who are poorly paid, ill-equipped, and demoralised cannot defend a wounded republic; they can only survive it,” he warned.
Beyond the military, he advocated “weaponising governance” by linking security operations with rapid post-conflict reconstruction—restoring schools, hospitals, roads, and justice institutions in affected areas to ensure sustainable peace.
He also emphasised that democracy itself is integral to national security. “Real security is not merely the absence of conflict—it is the presence of justice,” he wrote, warning that silencing dissent or manipulating elections only fuels extremism and weakens state legitimacy.
On foreign relations, Lengmang advised that Nigeria should engage the United States from a position of sovereignty rather than dependency. “We do not need American soldiers; we need American cooperation,” he stated, calling for collaboration in intelligence sharing, technology transfer, and financial crime tracking.
He urged Tinubu to champion regional unity through ECOWAS and the African Union, insisting that “African problems require African solutions.”
Lengmang described this moment as a test of leadership that could define Tinubu’s legacy.
“The Trump posture should be read not as an insult but as a warning and an opportunity. The most powerful reply is not a protest note but performance, end the killings, rebuild trust, and restore faith in the Nigerian state.”
He added that history would not remember the government’s rhetoric, but its results, how it rebuilt a broken system and restored Nigerians’ faith in their country.
