Presidential aide says Nigeria faces serious breaches—not total collapse—while dismissing independent reports that contradict government figures.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has pushed back against what he calls a misleading portrayal of Nigeria as a country overwhelmed by insecurity, insisting that while serious challenges exist, the nation is not under siege.

Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga argued that sections of the media amplify isolated incidents in a way that suggests a nationwide collapse of security.

“The problem is that the media… are even creating the problem. The way they’re reporting security is as if the entire country is consumed,” he said.

He maintained that many Nigerians continue to move freely across the country, including long-distance road travel, without incident. According to him, such realities contradict the widespread perception that mobility has become impossible.

“Don’t let people threaten you that the entire country is under siege. It’s not. There are security breaches—major security breaches—but that is not the same thing,” he stressed.

Onanuga also pointed to the timing of many reported attacks, noting that kidnappings and violent incidents frequently occur at night despite longstanding security advisories against late travel.

“Sometimes I check the timing—8 p.m., 9 p.m., even 1 a.m. A long time ago, the police warned against travelling at night,” he said.

Reinforcing his position, he cited the example of a government official who recently completed a lengthy road journey without incident, suggesting that such experiences are more common than media narratives imply.

His comments come amid renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security data. During the interview, analysts from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited and the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) presented figures indicating a 4.6 per cent increase in terror-related deaths between 2015 and 2025, involving groups such as ISWAP, bandits, and armed herders.

The data appears to contradict President Tinubu’s claim of an 81 per cent reduction in insecurity-related fatalities.

Onanuga defended the government’s figures, stating that official statistics are sourced from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

“You can’t be so categorical. The data we’re offering is from the Office of the National Security Adviser. That’s what we use,” he said.

He also questioned the methodology behind independent datasets, even when told they were compiled by internationally recognised conflict-tracking organisations.

“They may be wrong. The data we have is from the Office of the National Security Adviser. You cannot say our data is wrong and only this one is right,” Onanuga added.

The exchange underscores the growing debate over how insecurity in Nigeria is measured—and how it is communicated to the public.