Oriire Rescue, Seyi Makinde and Tinubu – Seye Oladejo

The successful rescue of the Oriire abductees is a moment of relief for every well-meaning Nigerian.

We rejoice with the parents, families and the people of Oyo State whose prayers have finally been answered.

We also salute the officers and men of Nigeria’s security agencies whose professionalism, courage and intelligence-led operations culminated in the victims’ safe return.

Beyond the celebration, however, one political question remains.

Is Governor Seyi Makinde still waiting for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s phone call?

Following the abduction, Governor Makinde publicly expressed disappointment that the President had not personally reached out to him over the incident.

In my view, that intervention shifted part of the public conversation from the rescue effort itself to the issue of presidential protocol and political symbolism.

I believe that was a misplaced emphasis.

With the victims now safely reunited with their families, it is evident that what mattered most was not whether a phone call was made but whether the nation’s security agencies succeeded in their mission.

The rescue was achieved through the efforts of security personnel who gathered intelligence, tracked the kidnappers and executed the operation.

Like every Commander-in-Chief, President Tinubu bears ultimate constitutional responsibility for the nation’s security architecture, and his administration has consistently maintained that restoring security remains one of its highest priorities.

While public debate focused on whether the President should have personally called the governor, security agencies remained focused on locating the victims and securing their release.

That, in my opinion, is where the nation’s attention should have remained.

The episode also reflects what I consider a worrying tendency among some opposition politicians to frame virtually every national security challenge through a partisan lens.

Every tragedy risks becoming an opportunity for political point-scoring, even while security operations are ongoing.

Criminals, however, have no political affiliation.

Kidnappers do not distinguish between APC and PDP.

Bandits are indifferent to partisan narratives.

What ultimately matters is the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security institutions and the willingness of political leaders at every level to support their work.

President Tinubu’s decision not to engage publicly in the controversy over the phone call, while allowing security agencies to continue their operations, appears to have been vindicated by the eventual outcome.

Leadership should not be measured solely by symbolic gestures or ceremonial communication.

It is better assessed by how effectively governments at all levels work together to confront national challenges and reassure citizens during difficult moments.

The successful rescue also presented an opportunity for leaders across party lines to acknowledge the efforts of the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and every other agency that contributed to the operation.

Such bipartisan recognition would have reinforced public confidence in the country’s security institutions.

The Oriire episode offers an important lesson.

In moments of national emergency, there are no APC victims or PDP victims.

There are only Nigerians whose lives deserve protection.

Likewise, there are no APC security agencies or PDP security agencies.

There is only one national security architecture entrusted with protecting every Nigerian regardless of political affiliation.

The successful rescue should therefore be seen first as a victory for the professionalism and perseverance of Nigeria’s security agencies and for the cooperation required among different levels of government to achieve such an outcome.

For me, it is also a reminder that substance should always take precedence over symbolism.

Perhaps, in the end, the most important phone call was never the one that may or may not have come from Aso Rock to Agodi Government House.

It was the call informing anxious parents that their children had regained their freedom.

That was the call that truly mattered.

As the dust settles, Nigerians are likely to judge all public officials not by the controversies they generated, but by how effectively they contributed to protecting lives and supporting those charged with keeping the country safe.

In the end, enduring results will always speak louder than political rhetoric.

Seye Oladejo is a former Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State.