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There is indeed no doubt that Nigeria’s security situation is fast deteriorating with each passing day. All Nigerians feel the danger ahead. The deaf and the blind are aware of the scary situation that living in Nigeria entails. Foreigners are also aware that it is becoming dangerous to live in some parts of the country.
That is why some foreign governments issue security warnings to their citizens on where and where not to go in the country at intervals based on intelligence reports. They even tell them the states to avoid at certain times and cities to boycott at some other times. Due to national pride and undue patriotism, some government lackeys dismiss some of these reports and assert that the country is safe.
There is no point pretending that the nation’s security is improving. The naked truth is that it is going from bad to worse. Before 2015, there were security challenges. From 2015 till date, they have magnified and threatening to tear the country apart if nothing serious is done now to contain the ugly situation.
The security issue should not be politicized. It is not about those in power and those out of power. It is about the security of the lives of Nigerians and foreigners in our midst. It is not about religion or tribe. It is about the future of this great county, the giant of Africa and the hope of the black world.
The primary purpose of government as clearly stated in Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is to ensure “the security and welfare of the people.” Therefore, the Federal Government must fulfill this constitutional provision. It is this primary duty that ought to be prioritized by the government. It is only when security and welfare of the citizens are ensured that other developmental issues will thrive.
It is because of the obvious lapses in security that the discerning ones among us are warning us that the nation is drifting to anarchy. These Nigerians are indeed stating the obvious. They should be listened to by those in charge of our affairs. They should not be castigated. They are patriots. They love the country and want it to be better. They should be praised and not demonized.
Those who travel on major Nigerian highways are abreast of the dire security situation in the country where kidnappers, bandits and armed robbers are having a field day and demanding huge ransom. Some Nigerians travel locally by air not because they have the means but because they want to avoid the chaos in our major highways that have suddenly become the abode of bandits, kidnappers and killer herdsmen.
They have literally taken over some of the nation’s highways. They even determine what happens in those dangerous highways. Nothing illustrates the precarious security situation in the country and the danger on our highways than the recent killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunri, the daughter of the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, by those yet to be unmasked by security agents.
The victim was killed along the Ore-Sagamu Expressway last week. Many other Nigerians have lost their lives in such grueling encounters with gunmen. Hitherto, Nigerians contend with high disease burden. Some diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS were regarded as the leading causes of deaths in the country. But now more Nigerians are killed by bandits, kidnappers and herdsmen.
Nigerians also die of hunger, mass poverty, unemployment and lack of decent housing. This is a fact the Federal Government should understand and start doing something to address the worsening security challenges across the country immediately. It does not really matter who is drawing the government’s attention to the debilitating security situation. What is of essence is to frontally and pragmatically tackle the problems at hand.
It is based on this preamble that one can really situate and appreciate the recent letter written to President Muhammadu Buhari by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the nation’s precarious security situation and the way forward.
Those criticizing Obasanjo for his epistolary interventions and calling him names actually missed the point. President Buhari should listen to Obasanjo, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerian leaders on the security challenges. I say this because these men have been in power and they are privy to privileged information that other Nigerians do not have.
It is important that those in government should be willing to humbly accept criticisms and make necessary amends. Nobody has monopoly of knowledge and how to do things better. Democracy, as a form of government, is good because it encourages plurality of views and accommodates dissenting opinions.
Those whose views are dissenting should not be labeled as enemies of the state or the government in power. The critics of the government are the ones that should be lauded for their patriotism and not otherwise. The government should be wary of praise singers and those that are always willing to launder its image at every point in time. The true friends and lovers of the administration are those that offer useful critical interventions from time to time and not the professional acolytes of every government in power.
To solve the lingering security challenges and other national problems, government should overhaul the entire security architecture. Urgent steps should be taken to set up state police. More powers and resources should be given the states to enable them ensure the security and welfare of Nigerians. Members of the 9th National Assembly should make the necessary amendments to the constitution to ensure that some of these issues are given prompt attention.
It is worth stating that new security challenges demand new approaches to solve them. We cannot solve the current security problems with obsolete strategies.
Peter Obi @58
Former governor of Anambra State and the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Mr. Peter Obi, turns 58 today.
I wish to join many of his friends and admirers to wish him well at this special occasion. May God bless him and give him the grace to continue to impact on the lives of many Nigerians through his philanthropic gestures and lifestyle.
Obi became a governor when the state of affairs in his home state, Anambra, was nothing to write home about. He changed the Anambra political narrative and instituted a legacy of transparency and accountability in government. He raised the bar of governance in Anambra State that no governor will fail to emulate.
Till date, his legacies in the state are there for all to see. Without doubt, his speaking engagements are seminal, philosophical and educative. He is a role model and a mentor to many youths and aspiring politicians.
