‘Don’t Depend on Government to Rescue You, Defend Yourself’
Retired Commodore (Prof) Kunle Olawunmi has delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s worsening security situation, alleging that the Federal Government had become compromised and was deliberately looking the other way while citizens were being killed by bandits and terrorists.
Speaking at the maiden edition of Boiling Point Extra, a public policy discourse focused on school kidnapping and the safety of children, the retired naval officer also alleged that hostile foreign interests were playing active roles in fueling insecurity across the country.
Olawunmi, a Professor of Global Counter-Terrorism, however, maintained that the Nigerian military possessed the capacity to crush criminal elements if given the appropriate political directive.
According to him, “the government is involved in what is going on. They have been compromised.”
He further alleged that “the foreign partners also, the hostile intelligence services, are involved.”
The retired Commodore argued that many Nigerians were focusing only on isolated incidents of violence without appreciating what he described as the larger forces driving insecurity.
“We’re just looking at the small pictures, the skirmishes, the tactical situations and scenarios. But the big picture is that the foreign governments are involved in what is going on, and our government today has been compromised to look the other way and allow people to be killed,” he declared.
Speaking on the capabilities of the armed forces, Olawunmi strongly defended the professionalism of Nigerian soldiers, insisting that the military should not be blamed for the country’s inability to decisively end insurgency and banditry.
“I’ve been in the military… this is not the same military that we used to have,” he said.
Recalling his operational experience in peacekeeping missions abroad, Olawunmi said Nigerian troops had demonstrated exceptional competence in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone, arguing that the same could be replicated at home.
“If you ask them to enter the forests today, they will flush out those people,” he said.
“Nobody should call them pepper soup soldiers. They are soldiers and they obey orders. If you ask them to sit, they will sit. If you ask them to kill, they kill.”
The retired naval officer urged Nigerians to respect members of the armed forces, stressing that they remained among the country’s most disciplined institutions despite prevailing security challenges.
Olawunmi also linked the security crisis to what he described as long-standing governance failures and historical developments, arguing that the problem could not be properly understood without examining broader political issues.
Addressing participants at the event, he urged Nigerians to become more proactive about their safety rather than relying solely on government protection.
“My advice to our followers and the people listening is that we have to take our lives back. Don’t depend on this government. They’re not going to rescue you. Try to defend yourself”.
He concluded by expressing optimism that sustained public engagement through platforms such as Boiling Point Extra would help deepen national conversations on insecurity.
The programme, Boiling Point Extra, hosted by a veteran broadcaster, Ayo Arowojolu, was transmitted via Zoom and broadcast live on multiple partner radio stations across Lagos, Ogun and Delta States.
The discourse was held in collaboration with the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) and also featured other discussants like Col. Lawrence Owosheni(rtd), Assistant Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mrs Rachael Awosusi (rtd), Strategy and Development Expert, Mr Yinka Quadri and Veteran Journalist, Mr Yemi Akintunde.
