From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
An Igbo statesman and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has expressed worry over the rising insecurity in the South East, blaming lack of State police, community policing and the issue of referendum as the major causes of the problem.
He also identified lack of synergy among the South East governors as the factor that has further aggravated the security challenges in the zone.
Chekwas, who was the former presidential candidate of the United Progressives Party (UPP) and the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in a telephone interview, said that the security lapses in the country have become so worrisome that people have started to express doubts about the survival of the country. He said nobody could be comfortable about the insecurity in the South East, adding that even the governors of the zone had started to express doubts.
He noted that many Nigerians, including himself, had repeatedly called for State police and community policing, a call he said featured prominently in his presidential campaign in 2015 that had not been heeded to.
Chief Chekwas insisted that until those fundamental security issues were addressed, the security challenges would never abate.
He was of the opinion that the National Assembly had to collaborate with the Executive arm of Government, to facilitate and expedite action in bringing about state police and community policing, which he said had to be done urgently, to arrest the situation, as he advised the South East Governors to rise up to the challenges.
“The lack of synergy among the leadership of the governors in the South East is very disturbing and it didn’t just start today. Many of us have tried in our individual ways to appeal to them to be able to work together.
“The South East is not too vast in terms of land mass. It is easy for them to be able to work together to put the entire South East under certain security measures and we will be able to have adequate security. We don’t need to wait for constitutional amendments. Lack of synergy is the problem,” he said.
He regretted that when some of the governors spoke, they would say that each State had its own peculiarities. He dismissed such excuses as coming from someone who didn’t want to co-operate with others.
“This individualism that our governors are exhibiting has been the bane of an Igbo man in all aspects which started since the civil war ended.”