The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said insecurity in Nigeria is not worsening, stressing that the Federal Government is making sustained efforts to contain the situation.
Bwala made the remarks on Head to Head, an Al Jazeera programme hosted by Mehdi Hasan at Conway Hall, London, released on Friday via the show’s social media platforms.
Addressing concerns over security challenges in the country, Bwala acknowledged that insecurity exists but maintained that the situation has not deteriorated under the current administration.
“I acknowledge the fact that we have insecurity in Nigeria, and until the hoax narrative of the ‘Christians genocide,’ we began to see back-to-back attacks in the country. For the first two years of the present administration, we experienced substantial peace in Nigeria,” he said.
Bwala noted that no country is entirely free from insecurity, citing parts of London as an example. “There is no country in the world today that is completely free from insecurity. There are parts of London where you cannot go in the evening,” he said.
On renewed terrorist attacks in some parts of Nigeria, Bwala said the government is collaborating with international partners.
“That is one of the reasons the President travelled to Turkey, where we reached a bilateral agreement to deal with insecurity. That is also why we are cooperating with the United States of America and other countries of the world. Since 9/11, terrorism has been a global phenomenon, and every country is involved in it,” he added.
Bwala maintained that insecurity in Nigeria is not worsening. “I can’t say it is getting worse. As a government, we are working day and night to deal with the situation. I don’t agree to the fact that it is getting worse,” he said.
He also accused Western media of portraying Nigeria negatively, using a glass of water as an analogy. “Western media might see the glass as half empty while Nigerians would see it as half full,” he explained.
Highlighting government efforts against terrorism, Bwala said, “Six months before Donald Trump’s comments, we arrested leaders of Boko Haram and Lakurawa, and prior to that, we eliminated a number of terrorists.
The US State Department commended Nigeria for that. The US Embassy recognised these efforts even before Trump’s statement. We declared national emergency on insecurity six months before Donald Trump’s statement, around April or May 2025.”
On the rise in kidnappings, Bwala described the problem as a “criminal economy” but insisted the government is taking steps to tackle it. “If one understands Nigeria’s geography and the nature of insecurity, one will understand that we are confronting a complex, hydra-headed problem,” he said.
Regarding the abduction of schoolchildren, Bwala pointed to the Safe Schools Initiative, which relocates students from insecure areas to safer state capitals. “This ensures they can access education safely,” he added.
