In this piece, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Jonathan, Dr Doyin Okupe explained that he would run for president in 2023 if banditry, kidnapping, herdsmen ravaging of the southwest and Boko Haram, all continue unabated.
I will also submit a postdated letter of resignation from office by myself and the vice president to the National Assembly. It will be dated 30th September 2025.
It shall be activated by a vote of two-thirds majority of the joint seating of the National Assembly, who would have satisfied themselves with the fact that my administration has not done enough or anything vividly substantial in the war against the above listed four scourges that have plagued this nation.
I say all this with great and profound sense of responsibility considering the gloom and perplexity that these menaces have brought on our nation while we all appear helpless and hopeless and we have a raging internal war, pervading dear of insecurity and lack of safety, severe inter-ethnic hatred and strife tending to tear the nation apart.
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I sincerely believe that things do not need to be the way they are. I have been a very close aide of two great presidents and have been close enough to power to know what can be done under these perplexing circumstances. This write-up is not about immodesty. I am convinced within myself that I have the knowledge, the intellect, the exposure, and experience that will be required to lead this nation out of its present predicament, if no other serious-minded person is willing to offer themselves. As a teaser I will elaborate briefly but not in too many details on what government can do to curtail this rampaging menace.
As President I will declare a state of emergency in the affected states. I know politicians will not like this. But without security the nation and its politics will neither survive nor exist.
Governors will not leave their political offices but their duties and functions shall be strictly limited to administrative matters while the state of emergency is in place. The state assemblies will be on temporary holiday till things return to normalcy.
I will appoint a senior military officer to be the State Security administrator not lower than a Brigadier-General. He will be fully in charge and be responsible for the safety and security of citizens of the state. The National Security Adviser in consultation with the Service chiefs will coordinate these states commanding officers nationally. National security council meetings will be thrice weekly excluding emergency meetings. A daily report of security of all affected states shall be on my desk 8.00 am daily.
I will deploy 2000 military troops and 3000 special police force to each of the affected states. (This may be subject to what is readily available)
Each state will have 2 transport helicopters, 1 surveillance helicopter with night vision capability and a surveillance helicopter.
I will arrange with international private and commercial satellite companies to cover the affected areas 24/7. This service came into use sometimes ago during the BAGA inferno attack by Boko Haram. We were able to see a whole town real time with each housing units clearly demarcated. Today bandits can be located and movements monitored through infra-red rays or thermal radiation from satellite focused on the area in question.
Every school and hamlets and villages will have multiple part time trained civil security agents with electronic panic buttons gadgets which will upon activation notify and alert nearest security posts and cells. It will display location of the distress caller without him saying a word. This will be available with teachers, pupils, village heads, chiefs, priests, special okada riders and transporters and market heads all over the state.
Bandits will be stopped dead on their tracks. The situation where bandits operate unchallenged for 3 to 4 hours will no longer be possible. Any major mass movement in the forests will be detected by satellite and ground forces will be mobilised instantly.
This will cost money. I have done some rough estimates. 1 billion USD will get this project under way and our citizens and children can all sleep with their eyes closed.
I have written this not to seek any attention or create arguments. People do not have to agree with what I have proposed. If I were the Nigerian President this would be my brief to my security council. They will give their input and we will swing to action.
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