Nigeria Not Under Siege, Only Experiencing Security Breaches, Says Presidency

The Presidency maintains that Nigeria is not under siege, even though security challenges persist in certain regions.

Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said this during a Q&A on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday.

Onanuga said that reports of insecurity can give the impression that the whole country is unsafe, but he stressed that violence and crime are confined to specific areas.

He added that many Nigerians continue to travel nationwide without facing security threats.

He cited his own road trips and the experiences of other Nigerians who regularly undertake long-distance journeys.

The aide mentioned the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), who had recently told him that he had travelled by road from Abuja to Kebbi State.

Onanuga urged Nigerians not to assume that the whole country is under siege because of reports of attacks and kidnappings.

He said: “I travelled from Lagos to Oyo to attend a burial ceremony. Don’t let people…the problem in Nigeria is that the media is even creating many problems. The way they report insecurity as if the entire country is consumed.”

When asked if one can travel from Borno through Yobe and Adamawa down to Niger state, Onanuga replied: “Some people do it. I know someone that does it. In fact, some came to my office yesterday. The executive secretary of the NELFUND. He told himself, I didn’t ask him. He said he drove from Abuja to Kebbi by road.”

“Don’t let people frighten you that the entire country is under siege. It’s not so. There are security breaches.”

“Any time I read about