Insecurity has remained one of the greatest challenges that has really affected the economic growth and development of Nigeria as a nation.
In the last two decades, Nigeria had been faced with various security challenges. Between 1999 and 2023, we have also lost count of the numbers of attacks on innocent citizens of this country by the Boko Haram.
But the most intriguing aspect of our political trajectory since 1999 is that despite all the efforts put in place to address the security threat, it is unfortunate that the prevailing winds of insecurity is still blowing across the country, making it a huge task for every administration to tackle the scourge.
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Today, Nigeria has continued to witness different dimensions of insecurity in all areas of our lives, and nobody is truly convinced to know whether the government is capable of tackling the scourge or not. Unfortunately, Nigeria has lost so much to terrorism. We have had enough of insurgency, killings and destructions.
The untold stories of massacre and killings of innocent citizens across the country are nothing but a sad reminder of how terrorism had hindered the progress of Nigeria in its quest to regain the soul of this country.
The battle against insurgency got to an alarming stage during the 8 -year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. It was during his administration that a traditional ruler in the south west region, Oba Benjamin Osho, the Eleda of Eda Ile, in Ekiti East Local Government Area Ekiti state was kidnapped. And the abductors also demanded N20 million naira ransom.
Afenifere chieftain, former secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation and Minister of Finance, Chief Olu Falae, who is now the
traditional ruler of Ilu-Abo in Akure North Local Government Area of the state had a terrible experience when he was kidnapped in his farm
in Ondo state. Also a first class traditional ruler in Ondo State, the Onifon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, was killed between Akure and Owo by bandits. And up till today, nobody could identify the killers.
So, the threat of insecurity in the country is not limited to ordinary citizens, it affects the rich and the poor and even the traditional rulers across the country.
It was also on record that during President Muhammdu Buhari’s administration, the presidential advance team was attacked in Katsina and even soldiers guarding the president were attacked also in Abuja. Some of them were killed.
We can easily remember how the popular Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja was attacked and some of the hardened criminals escaped without anybody knowing their whereabouts till date.
Also in 2022, a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja filled with passengers was attacked by terrorists and some Nigerians, including a young female doctor, were killed, while others were abducted. The terrorists even had the effrontery to release a video where they were flogging and torturing fathers, mothers and children. The spate of insecurity in the country was as bad as that during the Buhari’s administration.
So, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration came on board, we thought the spate of insecurity would be a thing of the past.
In my view, the spate of insecurity reduced greatly in the first three months of his administration, but the administration lost the battle in the last three months of the year as terrorism gradually reared its ugly head again, even at an alarming rate.
During the last yuletide, there were stories of how hundreds of people were attacked and killed in Plateau State. It is very unfortunate when terrorists attack and kill people and disappear into thin air. This is a failure of intelligence gathering by security agents and this is what the Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency must tackle headlong.
Security is key to the growth of every nation. The fundamental duty of every government anywhere in the world, is the protection of lives and property. This can be achieved through effective security as well as intelligence gathering mechanism.
Obviously, there is high spate of insecurity in Nigeria because all the modern security and intelligence gathering mechanisms have not been fully engaged by government to protect the citizenry.
There’s no denying the fact that the government’s ability to secure Nigerians anywhere they may be in the country will ultimately drive and catapult economic growth and development. It is also the duty of the government to ensure that the Nigerian space is conducive for the citizens.
In his efforts to salvage the country and address the security situation in Nigeria, the Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams recently organized a One- Day Security Summit in order to look into the possibility of solving the security deficits in Nigeria.
The summit was sponsored by the office of the Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land in conjunction with the the Netherlands security expert, Mr. Wien Van Wissen. The event, with the theme: “Driving Economic Growth In Nigeria with Modern Security Training and Technology” was an eye opener and it brought to fore, great insights into the security challenges in the country as well as the solutions to the challenges encountered by all the government security agencies.
At the event, a six- man panelists came on board to discuss the prevailing security issues in Nigeria and they came up with a global approach to solving all the security challenges in Nigeria. As far as I am concerned, I think the time is now for Nigeria to evolve new approach to combat insecurity in the country.
Our approach should be tailored towards intelligence gathering, as well as a broad- based technology- driven initiatives that is aimed at securing the entire nation against terrorists.
It is very important to note also that the people at the grassroots are key to the development of their areas.
Therefore, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must provide the necessary support for the people at the grassroots for them to be part of the new initiative to fight insecurity through effective intelligence gathering.
Whatever the Federal Government is going to achieve in the area of securing the country, there should be proper and effective synergy between all the security agencies in the country. The security agencies in Nigeria must work together as one big family in order to fight the scourge once and for all.
In the past, Nigeria usually lose the battle against insurgency when those that are supposed to secure the country are not on the same page. They work at cross-purposes and rivalry within the ranks is also a major issue.
Insecurity is a global threat and modern technology equipment, gadgets are also needed to fight the scourge to a standstill. We must also understand that there is need for the government to collaborate with other countries of the world in ensuring adequate deployment of intelligence and modern security network. We can not fight the scourge alone, there is need for global collaborations.
Finally, Nigeria has lost a lot to insecurity. It has also affected the country’s image by no small means. That is why it is important for Mr. President to seek better approach in order to combat the security challenges across the country.
Kehinde Aderemi writes from Lagos
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