By Peter.
Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala has fired back at critics dragging up President Bola Tinubu’s 2014 demand that then-President Goodluck Jonathan resign over the Chibok girls’ abduction, insisting the criticism was fully justified at the time.
Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Bwala argued that Jonathan’s government was in total denial about the kidnapping of the 276 schoolgirls and had no clue how to respond, while Boko Haram was literally hoisting flags and collecting taxes in captured territories across the North-East.
“In the days of Jonathan, they didn’t have an idea of the solution… They were in denial about the Chibok girls’ kidnapping. When Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for Jonathan’s resignation, it was a legitimate call,” Bwala said.
He contrasted that era with the current administration, claiming that while kidnappings still occur, terrorists no longer hold territory and now “attack and flee” instead of governing local councils.
On Negotiations and Ransom
Bwala also doubled down on Tinubu’s zero-tolerance policy toward negotiating with terrorists or paying ransoms:
- Previous governments (including under Jonathan and Buhari) had quietly authorised negotiations and ransom payments because “your first duty is to preserve life.”
- Tinubu rejected that approach because paying ransom = financing terrorism.
- “You are constructively giving them money to buy more weapons,” he stressed.
He acknowledged that past administrations, including when el-Rufai openly admitted to negotiations, felt compelled to talk when lives were at stake, but insisted Tinubu drew a hard line: no deals, no ransom.
Social media has been brutal, with many Nigerians pointing out the irony of Tinubu facing similar (or worse) rates of school kidnappings in states like Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto since 2023. Hashtags like #TinubuResignLikeYouSaid and #ChibokThenKurigaNow have trended heavily in the last 48 hours.
Bwala’s defence, in essence: Different times, different realities, different strategies — and above all, different presidents.
The debate is far from over.
#NigeriaPolitics #Tinubu #Jonathan #ChibokGirls #Insecurity #BwalaSpeaks
