Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos 

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a former Minister of Transport on Thursday said President  Muhammadu Buhari's statement that only God could effectively supervise  Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic is a "terrible statement to make".

Speaking in a chat with Daily Independent, Babatope, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the statement by the President sends a signal that Nigeria is already a defeated nation.

Babatope said while God will always help, it is the responsibility of the President and Commander-in-Chief to keep the country secure both internally and from external aggression.

"That is a very terrible statement to make. God is going to help us in everything but in this particular one which has to do with securing our country, the government has tremendous work to do especially in securing our borders". 

"Heavens help those who help themselves. God will help us when we have made efforts to ensure that we do everything possible to keep our people safe". 

"That is a terrible thing for the President to say because it shows that we are a defeated people. God will only help us when we as a nation are determined to help ourselves" .

Hnnm