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State of Emergency in Rivers: A Reckless move, says Sen. Ojudu
Former presidential adviser, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has raised concerns over reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
In a strongly worded statement, Ojudu described the decision as reckless and unnecessary, questioning the counsel behind such a move.
“If this is true, then I must ask: Who advised the President to take this course of action? Whoever it is, they are certainly not a friend of his administration, nor do they have the best interests of Nigeria at heart,” Ojudu stated.
Arguing that the crisis in Rivers is a mere political dispute requiring dialogue, he warned that the President risks deepening the turmoil rather than resolving it.
“Call the two gladiators, sit them down, and read them the riot act. One of them, after all, is your own appointee. What will it benefit you, Mr. President, to keep Wike and lose the Nigerian economy?”
Ojudu further cautioned that the decision could have severe economic implications, citing Nigeria’s past struggles with instability in the Niger Delta.
He recalled how the region’s crisis twice pushed the country into recession under former President Muhammadu Buhari, leading to a drastic drop in oil production.
“Has he been informed that at one point, Nigeria’s oil production collapsed to below 400,000 barrels per day, down from 2.5 million barrels per day? That catastrophic drop in production was a direct result of political mismanagement and conflict in the region,” he noted.
He warned that a fresh crisis could trigger another round of oil facility shutdowns, pipeline sabotage, and illegal bunkering, all of which could further cripple the nation’s economy.
“Investors do not wait for internal political conflicts to be resolved. They simply take their capital elsewhere,” he stressed.
The senator also highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges, urging the President to focus on real emergencies rather than escalating political battles.
“Thousands of Nigerian soldiers are still fighting for their lives and for the nation’s survival against insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers in the North East, North West, and North Central,” he reminded.
“These are the real emergencies. These are the crises that demand decisive leadership.”
With the armed forces already overstretched, Ojudu warned that diverting security resources to a political crisis in Rivers would only weaken Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and criminal networks.
Describing the state of emergency as “an admission of failure,” Ojudu urged the President to reconsider his approach.
“There are far more effective, far less destructive ways to handle this situation,” he said, calling for immediate dialogue rather than a heavy-handed response.
He concluded with a direct plea to Tinubu: “Mr. President, do not open a new war front in Rivers State while real wars are still raging elsewhere. Rethink this decision before irreparable damage is done.”
