Presidential aspirant and PDP chieftain, Gbenga Hashim, has called on Northern political, traditional, and social elites to take responsibility for the region’s worsening insecurity.
In a statement issued in Kaduna, Hashim welcomed the appointment of retired Army Chief, General Christopher Musa, as Minister of Defence—recently confirmed by the Nigerian Senate and sworn in at the State House, Abuja—but warned that the role must produce “real results, not symbolism.”
He said Musa’s Senate screening showed sincerity, but stressed that Nigerians were tired of promises as killings, kidnappings, and extremist activities surge across the North.
Hashim urged the Federal Government to fast-track legislation for state and local policing, arguing that no nation fighting complex extremism can rely solely on a centralised force. He said poor governance at state and local levels had made youths vulnerable to extremist recruitment.
He added that today’s leadership crisis contrasts sharply with the discipline and integrity that defined the First Republic.
