….Proffers solution
Sokoto State Governor and Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal , has identified twenty- four reasons why insecurity persists in Nigeria, pointing out that if they are resolved, Nigeria will be a more secured nation.
Tambuwal stated this while delivering a lecture entitled: “Security Challenges in Nigeria and its implications for sustainable development”, at the 63rd birthday Lecture in honour of renowned journalist, lawyer and Right activist, Mr Richard Akinnola in Lagos on Monday.
The Sokoto State Governor and former Speaker of the House of Representatives listed the reasons for insecurity in the nation as; Government failure or collapse of governmental institutions; feeling of inequalities, marginalization, unfairness and injustice; ethnic prejudices; religious conflicts; weak or inadequate security system; lack of appropriate equipment and technology to fight insurgency and crime; weak intelligence gathering mechanism and loss of Nigeria’s value system and weakening of traditional authorities.
Others, according to Tambuwal, are; corruption; porous borders, including the fallouts of the ECOWAS Treaty on free movement of persons; herders/farmers conflicts; rural/urban drift; cattle rustling; unemployment/poverty; lack of access to education, healthcare and welfare inequitable distribution of resources and ransom payments for terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
Others, he pointed out, are; civil wars in neighbouring countries like Libya and Congo; Influence of foreign terrorist groups like ISIS, ISWAP, Al Qaeda and so on; lack of good governance; weak and inept leadership unable to unite the country for common purpose; parochial world view and economic challenges as a result of hostile business environment, weak foreign direct investment; fear of harm to personnel of businesses and foreign companies and weak productive base of the economy and terrorism financing.
The Sokoto State Governor, nonetheless, maintained that solutions to the ravaging insecurity in Nigeria can be solved with a leadership serious enough to confront the problems head on.
According to him, “It is my submission that Nigerians can still unite for the common good. Nigerians can still live together and strive for nationhood.
“A nation built on not just equality of opportunities but love for one another. Being each other’s keeper. A caring and compassionate nation is still possible. “We must build a country where no man or woman, group or section is oppressed. A nation where your tribe, tongue or religion wouldn’t matter.
“We must build a nation that rewards talent and innovation and also ensures that no one or group is left behind.
“I believe strongly that we have the capacity and ability to vanquish all centrifugal forces that divide us.
“I leave you with the parting words of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest gifts of Africa to the world and whose conduct in office is recommended for Nigerian leaders: darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”, he concluded.
