The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has defended President Bola Tinubu against criticism over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, insisting that the president has fulfilled his constitutional responsibility by directing security agencies to confront criminal elements.
Speaking at the US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala organised by the Save Nigeria Group in Washington, D.C., on June 23, Adeboye argued that it is not the duty of a commander-in-chief to personally participate in military operations.
According to the cleric, once a president issues clear directives to the armed forces and security agencies, the responsibility for execution rests with the commanders on the ground.
“I don’t support those who are accusing the president of not doing enough. When the commander-in-chief has given instructions to his subordinates, he has done his bit. You don’t expect him to wear khaki and go to the battlefield,” Adeboye said.
Drawing a comparison with United States President Donald Trump, the RCCG leader noted that world leaders typically issue military orders without personally taking part in combat operations.
“When my friend Trump gives instructions to bomb anywhere, he doesn’t leave the White House. He has done his part. He gives the order, and the military carries it out,” he added.
Despite defending Tinubu, Adeboye acknowledged that Nigeria’s security challenges have deteriorated significantly, lamenting that terrorism and kidnapping, once largely confined to northern Nigeria, have spread to other parts of the country.
He said the situation had become deeply troubling, with many Nigerians questioning God’s intervention amid persistent violence.
“The situation has become far worse than before. Terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity that were once in the North are now at my doorstep,” he said.
The respected cleric also disclosed that he had advised President Tinubu to issue a strict ultimatum to military commanders to intensify the fight against insecurity.
According to him, security chiefs should be given 90 days to decisively tackle terrorists and other criminal groups or vacate their positions.
“I told the Nigerian leader to give military officers a 90-day ultimatum: wipe out this rubbish or resign. Go after them,” Adeboye stated.
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He further argued that lasting victory against insurgency would remain difficult unless authorities dismantle the networks supplying terrorists with weapons and ammunition.
“If you do not deal with those supplying these people with arms and ammunition, the problem will continue,” he added.
This version follows the standard inverted-pyramid news style, leading with Adeboye’s defence of Tinubu while retaining his criticism of the security situation and his recommendation for a 90-day deadline.