President Muhammadu Buhari, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, reportedly said Tuesday, December 22, 2020, that the border Nigeria shares with Niger “can only be effectively supervised by God.”
The president said this while receiving former Vice President Namadi Sambo, who heads the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Mission to the Republic of Niger.
As expected, the president has drawn ire from Nigerians:
Just when Nigerians think they have seen or heard the worst from the Buhari administration, something else suddenly crops up and it is another round of backlash; and the government’s unconcerned response.
According to religious precepts, God is the ultimate protector of all, but He has been said to have given humans the power and ability to protect themselves. So, where did ‘Heaven helps those who help themselves?’ go in this instance?
It is only incompetence and/or a lack of ideas that would make someone shy away from their responsibility and expect the intervention of a Supreme Being – and such mentality is harmful to progress. It is even more disappointing that such a statement would come from the president of a country.
If the president is clueless or if border security is too much of an issue for him to handle, nothing stops him from seeking help from countries that can assist effectively.
Even the United Nations (UN) Security Council recognizes that “ensuring effective border security is an integral part of any comprehensive and integrated national counter-terrorism strategy and requires collective action by States and relevant international and regional organizations.”
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