Insecurity: What I’d do differently if I were president — Sowore

2026-02-11 - 08:39

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said he would personally lead Nigeria’s security operations and overhaul the country’s security architecture if he were president. Sowore made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, where he spoke on worsening insecurity and what he would do differently from President Bola Tinubu. “If I’m the president today, as I’ve always said, the part of the presidency that says you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is something that I’d take very seriously, and that will push me to the war front,” he said. He explained that, although he would not carry arms, he would take direct responsibility for security operations. “There will be front and back of every operation in the country. I’m not saying I’m going to carry a gun, but I want to see my National Security Adviser every morning. I want to see all the army generals. I want to talk to them and motivate them,” Sowore said. He added that he would insist on accountability in defence spending and equipment procurement. “I want to ensure that the equipment that we say we have purchased, I want to see them physically. If I can’t see them physically, I want to see them virtually. I want to see that they are being put to use,” he said. The activist also said competence would be a major consideration in appointing security chiefs. “I want to make sure that all the security chiefs are competent. I would never use an IG of police that’s retired and tired who has nothing else to do. I look for younger, highly motivated, well trained people to start the process of taking the security of the country seriously,” he stated. According to him, a change in leadership approach and security philosophy would have an immediate impact on criminal activities. “Even when criminals know that you have changed your security architecture, you have changed the mentality and the philosophy, and they are hearing from the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces in charge, because we don’t have anybody in charge of the Armed Forces as a Commander-In-Chief right now, you will see that things will start changing,” he said. The AAC candidate stressed that insecurity could not be separated from broader social and economic challenges. “In addition to that, and I must say this, is that this cannot be divorced from other insecurities. So, there has to be social security. You have to provide employment for young people. You have to make sure that our education system are active and absorbing young people,” he said. Sowore also called for sustained investment in social infrastructure. “You have to invest in sports, in health. You have to invest across board, in processes that can engage people, that can bring about life that is suitable for people, so that they can value even life in general,” he added. He further argued that poor economic and social conditions contribute directly to violent crime. “You cannot have a police, for instance, where every time we are just shooting ourselves, you don’t have employment and you expect this will end,” he said. Sowore listed the absence of functional factories, schools, hospitals and safe roads as part of the problem, stressing that “all of these cannot be divorced from the general insecurity in the country.”