Accord Party presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said Nigeria’s current political leadership lacks the necessary training and understanding to effectively address the country’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Olawepo-Hashim argued that many of those in leadership positions did not undergo formal preparation for governance, particularly in areas relating to national security and crisis management.
He stressed that kidnapping and other violent crimes should be treated as part of a broader security war requiring a coordinated national response, rather than isolated rescue operations.
According to him, while the country needs specialised forces capable of responding swiftly to kidnappings, such units alone cannot resolve the deeper structural insecurity affecting the nation.
“You must have, of course, a special force that has the capacity to rescue when kidnappings take place, but beyond that, you need a broad security strategy that figures out the fact that this is a war,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim warned that Nigeria’s security challenges have been worsened by what he described as a lack of understanding of national security principles among political leaders.
“One of the problems you have with the political leadership right now is that most of the leaders did not go through leadership training. Even most of the political leaders don’t understand what is called national security,” he added.
He argued that the absence of professional training among leaders has contributed to weak policy responses and ineffective coordination in tackling insecurity across the country.
The presidential hopeful called for a more structured and strategic approach to national security, insisting that Nigeria must begin to treat insecurity as a war situation requiring long-term planning, intelligence gathering, and properly trained leadership.
His comments come amid renewed concerns over rising kidnappings and violent attacks in different parts of the country, with calls for stronger and more coordinated security interventions.
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