Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has stirred nationwide debate after rating President Bola Tinubu’s administration between 65 and 70 per cent on security, despite persistent reports of attacks, kidnappings and banditry in parts of the country.
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Musa gave the assessment during an interview on ARISE News on Friday while reflecting on the administration’s three years in office.
The minister argued that Nigeria had recorded significant gains in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, insisting that the overall security situation had improved compared to previous years.
“I’ll give ourselves 65 to 70 per cent. No nation is totally free from crime and criminality. The level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced,” Musa said.
His comments immediately triggered criticism on social media, with many Nigerians questioning how the government could score itself highly when abductions, killings and attacks are still being reported in several states.
Some critics pointed to recent incidents in parts of Borno, Kebbi, Plateau and Oyo states, arguing that insecurity remains a daily reality for many citizens.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, said the government’s assessment did not reflect the experience of ordinary Nigerians.
“The reality Nigerians face daily does not reflect this performance rating. Security is still collapsing in many parts of the country,” he wrote on X.
Journalist David Hundeyin also faulted the minister’s position, saying communities across the country were still battling kidnappings and ransom demands.
“You cannot be scoring yourself 70 per cent when children are still being abducted from schools and communities are paying ransom weekly,” he said.
Other Nigerians also questioned the rating. Imran Muhammed asked why many parents in troubled areas still feared sending their children to school if insecurity had truly reduced.
“Did this man understand the meaning of percentage?” Amin Magaji asked, while Urulor Patrick dismissed the assessment, saying, “How? Oga pack well.”
Some critics accused the Defence Minister of speaking more like a politician than a security professional.
Akintulerewa Victor Alaba expressed disappointment with Musa, saying Nigerians had expected more from him.
“Nigerians were seriously disappointed about this man. He has not acted professionally but like a politician. With the stories of kidnapping and no visible technological steps to rescue victims, there is no way forward to show he is working on solutions,” he wrote.
Raymond Duru also disagreed with the minister’s claim, insisting that insecurity had worsened rather than improved.
“This man was really overrated. Insecurity is currently worse than before,” he said.
However, supporters of the administration defended Musa’s assessment, arguing that the military had made measurable progress against insurgents and armed groups, especially in the North-East.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama said terror groups had lost territories and several commanders had been eliminated through sustained military operations.
“There is progress, though challenges remain,” he stated.
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, also defended the Armed Forces, saying security personnel were operating under difficult conditions.
“The Armed Forces have done well under difficult circumstances. Critics ignore the complexities of asymmetric warfare,” he said.
While defending the government’s record, Musa maintained that Nigeria was facing a complex security challenge partly driven by internal social decay and economic desperation.
According to him, kidnappings and related crimes are increasingly being carried out by people within local communities, making intelligence gathering more difficult.
“We have fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, brothers kidnapping sisters. It tells you that something is wrong with the family, and we need to look inward,” the minister said.
He blamed the persistence of kidnapping partly on what he described as a growing obsession with quick wealth and shortcuts to success.
“People need to understand that to make money, you must work very hard. Don’t look for shortcuts,” he added.
Musa also disclosed that Nigerian security forces recently carried out a covert operation that led to the killing of a deputy ISIS commander after months of intelligence tracking.
He said Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations were receiving stronger international support from countries including the United States, Britain, France, Brazil and Turkey.
The Defence Minister warned that failure to decisively tackle terrorism could create long-term consequences for the country, citing Turkey’s decades-long struggle with insurgency as an example.
In the same interview, Musa also declared that any attempt to stage a coup in Nigeria would be a waste of time, insisting that democracy remains far better than military rule.
He said officers accused of plotting to overthrow the administration of President Tinubu lacked support and would have been resisted even by ordinary Nigerians without military intervention.
“Anybody planning any coup is wasting his time,” he said.
“Democracy is far, far better than any military regime. This is an opportunity to show the junior ones that coup doesn’t pay.”
The minister described those allegedly involved in the October 2025 coup plot as “confused individuals” who misled junior officers into trouble.
“I just looked at the people that were involved and I shook my head, because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed very junior officers who didn’t know their left from their right and now put them into this mess. It’s quite unfortunate,” he said.
According to him, even civilians would have confronted the alleged plotters if they had attempted to execute their plans.
“Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So, I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they wanted to do,” he added.
Musa expressed sympathy for the junior officers facing trial, saying military authorities always feel saddened whenever personnel find themselves in such situations.
“We always feel bad when we see our colleagues in this situation. But the good thing is that the system has a way of going about it,” he stated.
On the ongoing court martial, the minister said due process was being followed and that the accused officers were being given fair opportunity to defend themselves.
“The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution is now ongoing, and the court martial will go as planned. We are giving them all the benefits to defend themselves.
“But the facts on the ground are very, very clear, and I can tell you that we are following all the processes. Nothing is hidden,” he said.
Musa maintained that there was no justification for any coup plot, arguing that the Armed Forces had been adequately catered for under the current administration.
“They had no reason to do that. The country was going very well. The Armed Forces have been taken care of quite well. We’ve never had issues with our salaries.
“Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well,” he added.
The minister’s comments have again placed the Tinubu administration’s security record under public scrutiny as Nigerians continue to demand stronger action against terrorism, kidnapping and banditry across the country.
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