…demands immediate committee reshuffling
The Forum of South-East Academic Doctors (FOSAD) has expressed deep concern and strong dissatisfaction over the recent appointment of members of the US–Nigeria Security Working Group by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in which the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones were completely excluded.
According to a statement jointly signed by its President, Dr Stephen Nwala and Secretary, Dr Uzor Ngoladi, FOSAD stated that: “the Working Group constituted to collaborate with the United States Government on developing joint strategies to tackle terrorism, banditry, and other complex security threats features the following eight members:
Nuhu Ribadu – Adamawa (North-East)
Yusuf Maitama Tuggar – Bauchi (North-East)
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar – Jigawa (North-West)
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo – Ondo (South-West)
Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro – Plateau (North-Central)
General Olufemi Oluyede – Ekiti (South-West)
Mohammed Mohammed – Kwara (North-Central)
Kayode Egbetokun – Ogun (South-West)”.
While decrying the lopsidedness of the committee, the Southeast Academia maintained that: “a security committee charged with shaping the future of national defence should reflect the diversity and plurality of Nigeria. Instead, this list South-East and South-South regions that have not only suffered from severe security challenges but also contain critical intellectual, professional, and institutional resources necessary for such a strategic body”.
Insisting that the constituted Committee contravenes equity and federal character, FOSAD reasoned that such a vital committee should not be seen as sidelining sections of the country.
The forum continued: “This lopsided appointment raises fundamental questions about equity, federal character, and President Tinubu’s commitment to national inclusiveness. Security is a collective challenge. It cannot and must not be addressed through a narrow regional lens or by sidelining whole sections of the nation”.
On the implications of the anomaly, FOSAD stated further that such exclusion was capable of undermining both national unity and operational effectiveness.
“At a time when Nigeria is confronted with terrorism, separatist agitations, oil-bunkering cartels, herder–farmer conflicts, kidnapping syndicates, and rising ethnic tensions, a security working group that excludes key stakeholders from half of the country undermines both national unity and operational effectiveness.
“FOSAD insists that the composition of this Working Group must reflect all six geopolitical zones if the Federal Government is genuinely committed to partnering with the United States to resolve Nigeria’s intractable security problems.
Excluding the South-East and South-South from such a sensitive and consequential national platform is unacceptable, counterproductive, and dangerous. These regions face unique security challenges that require representation at the highest levels of security planning and international cooperation”.
On the way forward, the Forum urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider the following: “Immediately reconstitute the US–Nigeria Security Working Group to include representatives from all geopolitical zones.
“Ensure strict adherence to the Federal Character principle, especially in sensitive matters of national security.
“Demonstrate commitment to national cohesion by avoiding appointments that could deepen regional distrust or reinforce perceptions of bias and exclusion.
“Engage security experts, academics, and regional stakeholders in future appointments to ensure informed, balanced, and effective representation.
“For a partnership as critical as the US–Nigeria Security Working Group, no geopolitical zone should be exempted not in composition, not in consultation, and not in participation.
Nigeria can only defeat insecurity through unity, not exclusion; through inclusiveness, not sectionalism; and through justice, not favoritism”.
