Nigeria’s Problem Is Not Capacity, It Is The Decline Of Patriotic Leadership - Olawepo-Hashim

Ajouté : 2026-05-25

[00:00:04]What kind of nation allows its children to go to school and not come home?

[00:00:10]Schools in parts of Nigeria, places meant for learning, hope, and possibility are once again becoming targets. Children abducted, communities terrorized, parents forced into a nightmare no society should normalize.

[00:00:26]For some, these are isolated tragedies in a country battling multiple security threats. But, others argue that they point to something deeper, persistent failures in rural security, intelligence gathering, and state presence. And a dangerous reality where entire regions become vulnerable because government authority is weak or absent. My second guest tonight, Dr. Benga Olowe Bohasim, says tactical military victories alone are not enough. That killing terrorist commanders means little if schools remain exposed and fear continues to spread. He argues that Nigeria requires something more fundamental, a coherent national security doctrine capable not only of responding to attacks, but preventing them.

[00:01:21]Well, for more on this, I'm joined now in the studio by the businessman, political figure, and former presidential candidate, Benga Olowe Bohasim, who has spoken out strongly following the latest attacks. Thank you very much indeed for coming in. My pleasure to be here. It is a sad day.

[00:01:38]Not something really easy to talk about. Really difficult.

[00:01:43]>> Now, you described these attacks on schools as a brutal assault on Nigeria's future. But, Nigerians have heard similar language for years while abductions continue. What specifically has the Nigerian state failed to learn?

[00:02:02]Well, I I think we are seeing a high degree of uh lack of commitments to secure the country uh and sometime complicity uh in what we're seeing. Nigeria has not been this week we sent soldiers to Liberia to stop this kind of mayhem.

[00:02:30]As Nigeria, we sent soldiers to Sierra Leone to stop this kind of brutal killings by the rebel group in Sierra Leone. We helped other nations like we had in Darfur and all that.

[00:02:45]That's when we had leadership that were really patriotic.

[00:02:52]No matter the shortcomings, whether they were military Nigeria was high on security and it was a stabilizing force in other countries and nations that that face this is basically lack of patriotism. Not lack of patriot- not not lack of capacity.

[00:03:11]>> Right. You think the country is now normalizing something that you found to be abnormal.

[00:03:16]>> Abnormal, yeah. It's becoming normal and we even see attempts to suppress this information.

[00:03:25]Now, this is happening in the Southwest.

[00:03:28]So, very close to media attention.

[00:03:31]That's why we're talking about your woman show and all that.

[00:03:34]>> be fair, we talk about it. It doesn't matter what part >> Borno, we had Borno. No, no, no, I'm not regionalizing it. I'm only saying that that is proximity to media attention.

[00:03:46]Look, only you were the only radio I I television station >> Arise, you mean? Arise television that reported the killing in Kebbi three weeks ago.

[00:03:59]Okay? In Shanga.

[00:04:01]Seven people were killed in this kind of circumstance. Previously, about 30 people were killed. The information was suppressed. It was only Arise Television that reported this. Well, I don't know if the information was suppressed.

[00:04:15]>> a week No, no, no, no. We have had a trend of suppression of some of this information.

[00:04:19]>> me ask you This are daily occurrence.

[00:04:23]>> I think a lot of people would agree with that. Who should ultimately be held responsible when children are abducted from schools? Local authorities, governors, security agencies, or the federal government?

[00:04:38]>> security. Yeah, but the federal government can't be everywhere. Well, that's why we asked 5 years going for decentralization of the security management police system.

[00:04:49]That you must have local and state police.

[00:04:53]Just as you have in most serious nations.

[00:04:56]>> sure you you know that they're trying to fast-track that Trying to fast-track after 3 years in government? After 18,000 people have been killed to this type of violence? We've lost over 18,000 people according to Amnesty International's record.

[00:05:17]In the first 90 days. These are things you could do in 90 days. When they want to pass a favorable legislation such as the Electoral Act, it doesn't take them 24 hours to pass it. Why is it taking forever to decentralize policing? If that's a priority, they will achieve it.

[00:05:37]>> prior planning. I mean, this is a completely new area. It's not something >> What I see is lack of commitment. Yeah.

[00:05:45]The APC has governors in 30 something states. That is that is more than two thirds of states in the country. So if you have a meeting as a president you call your governors and with the Senate leadership and in 48 hours the APC can pass the legislation if they are interested in it. It's simply not a priority. Let me just return. They would dispute that but let me but let me return to the issue of abductions because every attack triggers [snorts] outrage such as what you're expressing now. It triggers promises from the governments of investigations.

[00:06:23]Why does accountability appear so elusive in Nigeria's security architecture? Because if nobody is removed or sanctioned or held responsible after repeated failures, why would performance improve? Yeah, because of lack of commitment and complicity.

[00:06:46]Yes.

[00:06:47]I mean a lot of people have argued that the current government some of their backers uh you know are remotely behind these issues.

[00:07:00]The if you go to some of the mines where bandits are providing security functions to expatriates the local big men in such communities are the big party officials and people are aligned to government.

[00:07:22]So it's very difficult when you are when your backers are complicit in this kind of situation for you to be able to act decisively.

[00:07:34]And this comes back to the question of lack of commitment, lack of patriotism, not lack of capacity.

[00:07:44]I mean, I don't see any fantastic equipments in the hands of these people that Nigerian military really does not possess. And when soldiers see that political leaders are not committed, they don't get the inspiration to do their job.

[00:08:02]>> Right, let's move to politics there because the those political leaders will face a test in 2027.

[00:08:12]Um you're somebody who's put yourself forward in the past, and presumably you're plot planning to put yourself forward at the moment. I mean, but you're not in any political party, are you at the moment? I resigned from PDP.

[00:08:27]I have joined a party more than two months ago.

[00:08:30]And I asked my supporters to join that party. What party is it?

[00:08:35]>> But I kept it quiet. But why would you keep it quiet? Well, you know, on certain times.

[00:08:42]So you think somebody might come after you because you've you've got a lot of >> Really on certain times. And when I see what is happening in Nigeria now, it reminds me of what happened under Sani Abacha.

[00:08:58]When General Abacha wanted to be the only presidential candidate of all the political parties.

[00:09:08]>> [snorts] >> I mean, we were here by the grace of God, we saw the end of that tragic attempt. How it ended.

[00:09:18]We were not fighting them by putting all our intentions on on the media even before. So I'm not that kind of politician that dreams of something in the midnights, and then when you wake up, the first thing you do is to put it on Instagram or Facebook.

[00:09:36]>> you're not telling people what party you're in.

[00:09:38]>> and then they Why the next day you are running away from that party to another party. You are running away.

[00:09:48]Well, I told you I've already registered.

[00:09:52]Right. So you you you beat the deadline.

[00:09:55]I beat the deadline and over a million of my supporters have registered in that same party.

[00:10:01]>> that? When I pick my nomination form, I will invite Right.

[00:10:06]>> So we we you're I mean I don't understand why you're so cagey. I mean you're so afraid. You shouldn't be afraid. I mean you should have the You you you know you know If you have been to places I've been to, you cannot say why I am not >> if you don't have the guts to come out and tell the people what political party >> let me let me tell you let me tell you no that's a that's a matter of strategy.

[00:10:31]That's a matter of tactic. Look Well, I don't know about that. Let me let me let me let me >> People might say that you don't have the guts to come out. Why should they trust you?

[00:10:38]>> I have I have more than the guts. Let me tell you in 1989 I've been to the demarcation line within North and South Korea.

[00:10:48]In one second leak if you're in that place, you'll be incinerated where the nukes were. Anyone who went to that place cannot be afraid of anything.

[00:11:01]All right. That's a fairly far-fetched.

[00:11:04]Well, there's nothing far-fetched about it.

[00:11:06]What I'm telling you Charles is that you call some people strategies.

[00:11:14]Why do you call them strategies?

[00:11:17]Because the people confronting them are apprentices politician.

[00:11:24]Apprentice opposition leader. None of these guys who are confronting them was under state.

[00:11:32]>> of what could to you if people knew that which party you belong to. Is that Is that the summary of it? I'm not I'm not afraid. But I don't have to make it easy.

[00:11:44]I don't have to make it easy for those who don't want competition.

[00:11:48]Right. But you're not But you're not in the APC. They have to work very hard. Of course, I'm not in the APC. Okay. They have to work very hard. Right. You don't have to give them information. Well, you're about the only politician whose strategy that is.

[00:12:03]Because even politicians who some would argue uh have bigger constituencies than yourself and maybe are more are a big No, no, hold on. Let me just make the point. Are a bigger perhaps threat to the I'm not saying that you're not you know, so don't get all sort of shattered here. I'm just saying that there are big perception is that there's some people and and even the the the the the votes they got in the last election placed them considerably >> None of these guys you None of these guys you are talking about was around when we fought the military.

[00:12:37]Not a single one of them. None of these guys you are talking about was around when we fought the military. Not a single one of them. None of these guys you are talking about was around when we fought the military. Not a single one of them. None of these guys you are talking about was around when we fought the military.

[00:12:47]Not a single one of them. It doesn't really matter. I mean No, no, it's important.

[00:12:51]It's It's important. It's important.

[00:12:53]It's important. It's important. It's important. It's important.

[00:12:58]Well, because they lost to the person who won the most.

[00:13:01]>> Then they they Let me tell you something.

[00:13:04]I can't win an election and anyone will stop me from assuming power. Okay, let let's move on from that. And let me ask you this. What's your assessment of the opposition landscape at the moment? I mean, we we we we've seen the APC conducting primaries across the country.

[00:13:23]I mean, they've been generally peaceful although disputatious.

[00:13:28]Um, but opposition parties are yet to do theirs and you know, do do you fear that the the same allegations >> read the Electoral Act? that the the same allegations of >> the Electoral Act? No, what I'm asking you is when they they get around to either doing consensus or doing The the Electoral Act >> primaries The Electoral Act provides for nominations by political party 120 days before general election.

[00:14:01]That means political parties under the Act have the latitude to organize their primaries even by end of September and it will be legal.

[00:14:13]Now, the INEC tight electoral schedule is only programmed to get the outcome you are seeing now. Otherwise there is latitude under the Electoral Act for political parties to organize their primaries latest by end of September.

[00:14:37]So, there is no need for this rush. All this rush, all this calendar is outside the Act. So, why do I have to squeeze myself into the imagination of somebody else when the law that governs the process gives me a latitude up to September? No, I I understand the point you're making.

[00:14:59]I mean, a political party will decide within that frame of time when they want to hold their primary. Yeah, that will be their decision, not INEC's decision.

[00:15:07]Nobody said it was INEC's decision. So, what you have now, maybe you don't get it. What you have now is not in accordance with the law.

[00:15:18]You mean the APC primaries. I I don't understand what you're talking about.

[00:15:21]You are talking about other opposition parties, not just the APC.

[00:15:25]>> Yes. I'm saying that any opposition party under the act could do its primary within >> what I'm saying it doesn't matter when they do their primaries. What I'm saying is No, no, what I'm saying is are you concerned the way that because we've just seen the APC doing their their House of Reps, doing their senatorial and amid allegations of imposition, there've been protesters being you know, allegations of intimidation, disputed results, threats of litigation, and all the rest of it.

[00:15:57]>> This is what you get.

[00:15:58]>> I'm saying is that looking at the landscape of the opposition >> I'm answering your question.

[00:16:03]>> Are you concerned about the same >> You're not paying attention to what I'm saying. Well, let me answer your question first before you answer it. Let me answer your question first You're saying if you What I'm saying is if you compress primaries and you order everybody to do registration within a short time, this is the outcome that you get.

[00:16:24]That the political parties don't have the infrastructure to handle the primary within a compressed time that INEC has imposed on them.

[00:16:37]If APC cannot do it, nobody can do it.

[00:16:41]That's the simple answer that I'm giving to you.

[00:16:45]But So, what is your conclusion from this assessment of the opposition?

[00:16:50]>> is you know you were on holiday we were discussing this here.

[00:16:54]I wasn't on I wasn't on free holiday. I don't know what you're talking about.

[00:16:59]We were discussing The other one has just come back from holiday. We were discussing this here.

[00:17:03]>> But but you've just come back from holiday, haven't you? Yeah, yeah. Okay.

[00:17:06]>> We were discussing this some time, Charles, and we were saying INEC should allow the parties up till September as stipulated by the Electoral Act to get themselves together.

[00:17:24]All these deadlines of you must cross you can't cross to this party before these things are apparently illegal. The Electoral Act says 21 days before primary and by the Electoral Act all primaries should end by end of September if we take the 120 days provision.

[00:17:45]So, no one needs to hit their head, cut their nose within this short time.

[00:17:50]That's all I'm saying. And that's when you impose this tight schedule outside the law, what you get is what we're seeing. You don't need it. You want people to compete fairly. You want them to have the opportunity to even present themselves. You have seen primaries conducted in the United States.

[00:18:12]Aspiring politicians have debates, all right? They campaign from state to state. Primary election when you are doing direct primary is more or less like you're going for general election.

[00:18:23]When you choose direct primary you understand? So, you allow the the political parties to organize these properly so that it will be internally competitive. So, this was never designed to be internally competitive. And so, the result you are getting is the chaos that is on the underground. I'm going to come in here because unfortunately we're out of time, but it's great to talk with you. I know you wanted to touch on energy, but we haven't got the time for that unfortunately. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. And Benga Olawepo-Hashim is a businessman, political figure. He's joined a party, but he won't tell us which and former president He skipped moved to another party.

[00:19:07]>> [music] >> He's also a former presidential candidate.

[00:19:09]Thank you so much.

[00:19:11]It's always a pleasure to be Thank you. That's it for this edition of Arise Prime Time. Join us again tomorrow. From me and the entire team here in Abuja, bye-bye and thank you for watching.