A retired naval officer and security expert, Commodore Promise Dappa, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over what he described as “worrisome silence” amid Nigeria’s rising insecurity.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Dappa said the roadmap to solving Nigeria’s security issues is already known — and the answers are sitting right inside the presidency.
According to him, while serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gbajabiamila organised a major security retreat and released a comprehensive communiqué outlining solutions Nigeria needs today. Surprisingly, Dappa noted, Gbajabiamila appears quiet on the same issues now that he is positioned in the “corridors of power.”
“I want to tell President Bola Tinubu that the key to solving insecurity in Nigeria is right there in his office,” he said.
“His Chief of Staff, when he was Speaker, conducted a major security retreat and produced a comprehensive document. Everything we need to fix insecurity is in that communiqué — yet he is silent. That is unfortunate.”
Dappa also faulted the 2026 budget, highlighting that border security, a crucial element in the fight against terrorism and banditry, was not properly captured.
“You cannot have a secure Nigeria without a secure border,” he stressed.
“The current Minister of Defence once spoke boldly about this even at the risk of his position, yet today, we are discussing a national budget that ignores border security. When do we start taking this seriously?”
Dappa’s remarks have reignited conversations about political will, accountability, and whether the Tinubu-led administration is fully maximizing existing security intelligence tools and recommendations.