Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) has publicly challenged his colleagues in the Senate to abandon “patronising” statements and deliver candid, honest appraisals of Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
During a heated national debate on insecurity, Dickson criticised motions that sought to commend the President for his administration’s security efforts calling such gestures “ill‑timed,” “insensitive,” and provocative toward victims of banditry, kidnappings and violent crimes. He urged members of the majority party, those with access to the presidency, and all lawmakers regardless of political affiliation to present unvarnished facts rather than sugarcoat realities.
Dickson warned that Nigeria now faces a level of violence “that even nations at war do not experience,” citing widespread killings, mass abductions, attacks on schools, and the loss of senior military officers. He insisted that the Senate should provide effective oversight and accountability, particularly over the trillions of naira allocated to security agencies over the years funds which, in his view, have failed to translate into adequate protection for citizens.
By pressing for truth over politics, Dickson’s stance underscores growing frustration with the escalating security crisis and signals a call for more responsibility from lawmakers at a time when many feel government responses have been insufficient.
