A Facebook post by Sa’adiyyah Adebisi Hassan has stirred debate online after she strongly criticised former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), over his lengthy response to remarks made by former U.S. President Donald Trump about Nigeria’s security challenges.
Hassan, in a detailed statement on her Facebook page, accused Fani-Kayode of deflecting from Nigeria’s worsening insecurity by blaming foreign powers instead of acknowledging what she described as the failure of successive Nigerian leaders.
She argued that the former minister merely defended a political class that has been unable to safeguard citizens.
According to her, both Christians and Muslims continue to suffer devastating attacks across several states, including Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto, Borno and Taraba.
She insisted that the insecurity crippling the country is undeniable and not a matter of political sentiment, adding that Nigerians are being massacred, abducted and displaced at alarming rates regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Hassan faulted Fani-Kayode’s repeated references to alleged American interference, arms embargoes and foreign conspiracies, insisting that Nigeria’s insecurity is largely the result of internal failures.
She argued that it was not foreign actors who allowed terrorists to take over forests, extort villagers or dominate ungoverned spaces, but domestic leadership decisions, including the disbandment of private military contractors, ransom payments to kidnappers, poor support for the military and the rehabilitation of terrorists.
While acknowledging that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks, Hassan accused Fani-Kayode of using this fact to downplay targeted killings and distract from responsibility.
She maintained that pointing out religiously targeted violence is not “playing into a foreign agenda,” but confronting reality, noting that “America doesn’t need to demonise Nigeria; Nigerian leaders have done that themselves.”
Hassan also dismissed Fani-Kayode’s call for Nigerians to support government efforts, saying citizens have been urged to “keep faith” for over a decade while attacks continue to recur.
She argued that the cycle of massacres, condemnation statements and silence has persisted without meaningful action.
She further pointed out contradictions in Fani-Kayode’s position, noting that his own admission that Nigeria must kill terrorists, end ransom payments and seek robust security partnerships proves the political establishment has not taken decisive action. “You can’t preach tough action while defending leaders who pampered, resettled or negotiated with terrorists,” she wrote.
Hassan stressed that Trump’s comments are not the real issue, arguing that they only sting because Nigeria is already in crisis. “The problem is not that a foreign leader called Nigeria a disgrace,” she stated. “The problem is that many Nigerians look around and quietly agree.”
She concluded by arguing that insecurity persists not because of foreign commentary but because Nigerian leaders have failed to utilise power and security budgets effectively. “Mass graves don’t appear because someone spoke in America,” she wrote. “They appear because leaders in Abuja refused to do what must be done.”
Her post has generated significant discussion on social media, with many users weighing in on both sides of the argument.
