Dumebi Kachikwu, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2023 elections, has warned that Nigerians are fast losing hope as insecurity continues to claim lives across the country.

In a strongly–worded statement on Thursday, Kachikwu said President Bola Tinubu must brief the nation on the true scale of killings, displacements and destruction wrought by criminal elements, insisting that Nigerians deserve clarity.

He noted that although the crisis predates the present administration, “inheritance must not become a shield,” stressing that government must provide honest answers about a conflict that has lingered for years.

“The blood of the innocent is being shed daily in Nigeria while kidnapping and banditry have become commonplace,” he said.
“At this defining moment when our nation is being ridiculed globally, you should be the president who tells Nigerians the truth about this never-ending war that has cost us billions of dollars in taxpayers’ money.”

Kachikwu queried the silence surrounding the identities of victims and the fate of communities overrun by violent groups.

According to him, the public must know whether the unending conflict is a mere grazing dispute or part of a broader agenda that successive administrations have failed to unravel.

“Four presidents have come before you since this war started, and none of them told us the truth about what is really going on,” he said.

‘Define the Enemy’

The ADC chieftain urged the president to identify those behind the violence and stop issuing threats that produce no consequence.

He also faulted calls for amnesty for armed groups, arguing that nations do not forgive unnamed criminals.

“Our public officers swear loyalty to the Nigerian state, not to tribe or religion,” he said. “Sheltering criminals because of ties amounts to treason.”

Kachikwu lamented the diminishing morale of frontline troops, accusing powerful interests of benefiting from defence contracts while soldiers risk their lives.

“No individual or group is bigger than our nation or our laws,” he said. “The good people of Nigeria are silent because they are waiting for a president who will tell them the truth.”

He warned that national hope is dwindling, adding that only decisive leadership can rally citizens behind the fight.

“A leader is a dealer in hope; we are losing hope,” he said.