The Federal Government has been urged to address the lingering insecurity across the country in a holistic manner, the Ovie of Umiaghwa-Abraka Kingdom in Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ochuko Ararile (rtd), has said.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday on the state of the nation, the retired Air Vice Marshal, who was the pioneer Coordinator of the Amnesty for Niger-Delta militants, opined that other parts of the country should be carried along in the planned amnesty.
“We should look into insecurity generally and not on zonal level. If the government must grant amnesty to Boko Haram, it must be within the framework of an all embracing agreement that addresses the security issues in all zones,” he said.
The royal father posited that any zonal solution to insecurity by any government was bound to fail because such solution in one zone may encourage crises in another.
He said if all the geopolitical zones are involved, a long term solution can be achieved.
To achieve lasting peace, the Abraka monarch canvassed a roundtable conference or national dialogue by all the zones where the underlying concerns that have led to this virtual state of anarchy will be laid on the table and discussed.
Ararire also suggested that a national programme for the reduction of the illegal small arms and light weapons in circulation must be vigorously pursued even while national dialogue is going on.
According to him, easy access to these weapons plays a very significant role in the exponential increase in crimes, saying the alternative to this would be to allow all adult citizens to bear arms.
The monarch however expressed dismay at deliberate attempt by the Federal Government to marginalise the Urhobo people, the fifth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria.
He described government’s action as “calculated and well planned move to exclude the people of the area from the socio-economic and political scheme of things at all levels in Nigeria.
“In fact, the Urhobos are now endangered specie. Currently, there is not a single minister, presidential aide/assistant, head of parastatal, board chairman of any agency from Urhobo; yet we are the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The situation is further worsened by the replacement of the only Urhobo DG of the National Lottery Commission, Mr Peter Igho.”
He therefore, called on the Federal Government to address the “genuine concerns of the Urhobos in order to redress the inequitable distribution of political offices and opportunities given that the Urhobos contributed significantly to the electoral fortunes of Mr President.”
He also alerted the nation on the very serious security challenge posed by the Fulani herdsmen to the South-South and Delta State in particular.
According to him, incidents of rape, murder and robbery committed by the herdsmen are now rampart, stressing that Northern governments must be prevailed upon to provide grazing areas for their herdsmen as a matter of urgency.
On possible solution to growing security challenges in Nigeria, the monarch noted that the government needs to tackle the remote causes – inequity, youth unemployment and massive poverty.
He also advised President Jonathan to do more to market the Transformation Agenda to the populace, so as to encourage the people to buy-in into the programme and make it all-inclusive, saying that failure to do this would continue to have an adverse impact on the good intentions of the government.
The monarch noted further that other solution to the growing insecurity was to address the instruments for tackling the effects, which are security architecture and operational doctrine.
Ararire said: “There seems to be a bastardisation of the Armed Forces operational doctrine.
“It appears the military is over stretched.
“If that is so, it may be necessary to consider recalling military personnel on reserve to free the police to do what they are trained to do.”
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