Abuja: Dr Sidie Tunis, the immediate past Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament (EcoParl), has called on Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu as his administration addresses the increasing security challenges in the country. He made the appeal during an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the regional parliament’s silver jubilee commemoration.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Tunis, a member of the Sierra Leone Parliament, praised the Tinubu administration’s security reforms and emphasized that combating violent crimes requires both governmental action and the collective support of citizens. He highlighted the need for Nigerians to stand with the administration in addressing the activities of bandits and other security threats instead of criticizing governmental efforts.
Tunis remarked that no leader aims to fail and that security is a paramount concern for any government. He warned against the discouragement that constant criticism could bring to leaders who are trying to address security issues. Tunis also stressed that security is not a matter of politics or religion, as violent criminals do not discriminate based on political affiliations.
The former EcoParl speaker also advocated for cooperation among national governments within ECOWAS to effectively tackle security challenges in the sub-region. He condemned the rising trend of unconstitutional takeovers of governments, attributing them to bad leadership and corruption. Tunis identified these issues as significant contributors to coup d’©tats in the region.
With extensive experience in legislative politics and governance, Tunis has served in various capacities within the Sierra Leonean Parliament and the ECOWAS Parliament. He is speculated to be a strong potential candidate for the presidency of Sierra Leone in the 2028 elections. However, Tunis expressed that his current focus is on supporting President Julius Bio and the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) to achieve their campaign promises.
Tunis served as a senior member of the Sierra Leone delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament before his tenure as the Fifth Honourable Speaker, a role he held from March 2020 to March 2024.