Opposition Underrating Tinubu At Their Own Peril, Warns Ribadu

National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has warned opposition against underrating President Bola Tinubu, cautioning that underestimating the president is a dangerous miscalculation.

Ribadu delivered this message during his address at the 2025 National Cyber Security Conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event themed ‘Building a Resilient Digital Future’, Ribadu lauded Tinubu’s leadership as transformative and visionary, stating that the president is not only well-educated but also highly knowledgeable about national and global affairs.

“We have quality leadership today in our country,” Ribadu said. “Mr. President is a digital President and educated. Yes, he is very enlightened. He knows things. People underestimate him at their own peril.”

According to the NSA, President Tinubu’s administration has brought measurable improvements in national security and economic stability. Ribadu emphasized that despite persistent criticism, progress is evident and ongoing.

“Things are changing. We are stabilising things. Forget about what some people are saying. Nigeria is getting safer and better every single day. Our economy is stabilising. Things are getting better day by day,” he said.

Ribadu dismissed ongoing public criticisms as the antics of “expired and desperate” individuals who feel entitled to power and are resistant to the administration’s reform efforts.

“These are people who looted and plundered this country before. They believe it is their right to remain in power,” Ribadu declared. “They go to Channels or Arise TV, shouting. They are outdated. But Nigerians are wiser.”

He accused certain diaspora-based actors of sponsoring unrest in the South-East and vowed that the government would track and jail them, even outside Nigeria.

“Those who are creating problems there and are outside the country—we are going to jail them there,” he said. “We will not allow the money they are sending to Nigeria. We are working and getting results.”

Ribadu also stressed the administration’s cooperation with major telecommunications companies and international stakeholders to enhance national security and digital resilience.

“Nigeria is safe. Forget about these people who are talking nonsense. We work with big telecom companies closely,” he assured. “The Niger Delta is safer than ever before. The South-East is beginning to be normal.”

Calling on foreign investors and global tech leaders, the NSA declared: “Nigeria is the future of Africa. Invest in Nigeria. Help us build a resilient digital infrastructure.”

On cyber security, Ribadu stressed that resilience in the digital space is crucial to national development and must be pursued through deliberate collaboration among public and private actors.

“A resilient digital future is not given. It must be consciously, collectively, and effectively built,” he said. “Public institutions, banks, schools, and markets are all targets of cyberattacks. Resilience is the bedrock of national security and economic stability.”

Also speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that the Commission had made significant strides in tackling cybercrime.

He revealed that all EFCC operations, including submission of petitions, investigations, and prosecutions, will be fully digitalized by the end of 2025.

Olukoyede also announced that 194 suspected cybercriminals were recently arrested in a single operation, and 146 of them have already been convicted.

“We have recorded remarkable achievements in dealing with cyber threats to the economy in the last two years,” Olukoyede said, adding that some foreign nationals had fraudulently obtained and used Nigerian identities to commit cybercrime.

The National Cyber Security Conference drew participants from across the security, financial, and tech sectors, with a collective resolve to deepen digital trust and protect Nigeria’s cyberspace from evolving threats.

Opposition Underrating Tinubu At Their Own Peril, Warns Ribadu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper