By Olayinka Ajayi
The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Think Yoruba First (TYF), has called on President Bola Tinubu to seek a middle ground for effective collaboration with the United States amid rising security concerns and international reactions to Nigeria’s internal challenges.
In a statement issued by TYF’s Public Relations Officer, Ogbeni Oluwole Lewis, the group condemned the alleged botched coup attempt reportedly involving officers of Northern extraction.
Lewis referenced a recent statement by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened military intervention in Nigeria over what he described as “alleged genocide against Christians, particularly in Northern Nigeria,” accusing the Nigerian government of failing to act decisively.
The TYF spokesperson said foreign actors had long been accused of contributing to instability in Nigeria and the wider Sahel region, stressing the need for the Nigerian government to reassess its internal and external security posture.
“We emphatically condemn the alleged coup attempt against a democratically elected President of Southwest extraction,” Lewis said. “But we must also encourage the President and his cabinet to take a holistic view of the multiple threats confronting Nigeria today.”
He argued that Nigeria’s centralized security architecture was no longer sustainable, noting that decentralization had become an urgent necessity.
“Decentralizing the security apparatus has become essential to solve problems relating to manpower, response time, and intelligence gathering. Sub-nationals must be empowered to defend themselves without depending solely on federal forces. A rigidly centralized structure also makes coups easier to attempt, as history has shown,” he said.
According to him, the establishment of state police was long overdue, and the Federal Government must expedite efforts to secure support from state governors and state assemblies while amending sections of the Firearms Act currently on the Exclusive Legislative List.
Lewis also urged President Tinubu to work closely with U.S. security agencies, where necessary, particularly in intelligence sharing and acquisition of advanced security equipment.
“There is no price too high to secure the lives of our people. It is clear that we need all the help we can get, and ego must be set aside when lives are at stake. We must find a middle ground for effective collaboration,” he said.
TYF maintained that true federalism remained the key to lasting stability in Nigeria.
“Attacks from different angles are symptoms of a flawed unitary structure that fuels both feelings of unfairness and entitlement. Devolving powers to sub-national units will reduce the desperation for power at the center,” Lewis added.
The group urged Tinubu to address the root causes of Nigeria’s instability rather than merely “managing the symptoms.”
“To stand out from your predecessors, Mr. President, you must resist the urge to treat only the symptoms when the disease itself can be cured. You must and will succeed,” the statement concluded.
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