The Presidency says the Federal Government is committed to securing the lives and properties of Nigerians amid the rising spate of violent attacks on communities in parts of the country.
Mr Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, gave the assurance to the people in a statement on Wednesday.
“Nigerians are assured that the government will keep its promise to the nation and threats to security will be handled with the firmness they call for, and the government will remain firm in securing the country’s unity and progress,” he said as he outlined some of the actions the government has taken to address the situation.
“In response to the recent spike in terrorist activity, particularly in the Kaduna and Niger States axis, the defence establishment, in response to presidential directives, has realigned and reorganised the ongoing operation in the areas, as well as that going on in the Niger Delta region.
“The new operations structures are being reinforced with land-based assets to increase the efficiency of the troops and intelligence is equally being reinforced. The air defence system is being reinforced with newly acquired jets and drones which assemblage and training for operators have been hastened to meet the current exigencies.”
According to Shehu, the country is equally getting assurances of early delivery of equipment on order from manufacturers and effort is ongoing to conclude other major procurements still in process.
He revealed that the government, at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday morning, approved the procurement of the ‘largest ever’ single procurement of military vehicles.
“At the same time, similar major operations are going in the South-East and the South-South where the economic life wire of the nation and electricity transmission lines are currently being secured from saboteurs,” said the President’s spokesman.
“What the sponsored saboteurs aim to show is that the government cannot provide power by sabotaging equipment at switches and other vital points. They will not succeed.
“The public knows who is who, and who has done what in our country’s governance. Massive gains being made will shortly be manifesting. Large number of arrests have equally been made.”
The presidential aide issued the statement in reaction to a call by a northern group for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over the continued killings in the country.
Publicity, he explained, is the oxygen for politicians who have failed to connect with voters in a democracy and a resignation call on the President is not the solution to the security problems facing the country.
Shehu stressed the need for people to know what the government was doing to deal with the security situation, and for politicians to come to terms with the fact it was beneficial to help preserve the state.
“People don’t have to destroy what is there in a desperate quest to get power,” he concluded.
