THE Federal Government has urged the service chiefs and other relevant agencies of government to upscale strategic actions in tackling the internal security challenges threatening the country.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who gave the charge during the weekend, insisted that the presidential directive on ensuring the security of lives and property in the nation must not be compromised.
Aregbesola spoke at a two-day Ministerial Strategy Retreat organised by his Ministry and held in Ilesha, Osun State, for its management staff and Service Chiefs of its Paramilitary Agencies towards achieving President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate on internal security.
He said it was worrisome that Nigerians wake up daily to gory stories of armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom, militancy, terrorism, insurgency, ethnoreligious crises, farmers-herders clashes, vandalisation of national assets, cultism, ritual killings, among others.
He said the theme of the Retreat “Driving Performance in Achieving the Presidential Mandate on Nigeria’s Internal Security” was indeed very apt considering President Buhari’s priority ranking of this sector in the light of security threats being witnessed in different parts of the country.
ALSO READ: Lagos records 1500 tricycles accidents from 2015 till 2019
He recalled that the focus of the administration since coming to power in 2015, had rested on the tripod of addressing insecurity in the country, revitalising and growing the economy, while tackling corruption.
“The onus, therefore, rests on the Ministry of Interior as the organ of Government responsible for fostering and ensuring the maintenance of internal security, and public safety to deliver on its mandate, in order to validate the raison d’etre of government which is the security and welfare of the people of Nigeria,” he said.
The Minister noted that the gathering of the top echelon of both the Ministry and its agencies responsible for formulating and implementing sectoral policies and programmes as mandated by the administration became imperative in view of the security challenges.
According to him, the purpose of the strategy retreat was to provide a congenial environment for them to brainstorm on the ways and means of upscaling the strategic actions necessary to ensure the internal security and public safety of the citizenry “while driving our performance to achieve the strategic objectives we have been mandated by Mr President.”
He said the task was certainly daunting and onerous, observing that one of the major factors that contributed to security challenges in the country had been the issue of the nation’s porous borders.
He said this situation significantly led to the twin problem of proliferation of small arms and ammunition in the country as well as the free entry of illegal immigrants many of whom constituted security threats to the nation.
Aregbesola, however, noted that the recent implementation of the policy of partial closure of the nation’s land borders has greatly contributed to the current level of peace and security being experienced in the country.
He said: “We, however, still need to do more. This Retreat, therefore, provides the necessary platform to brainstorm and articulate other policies, programmes and strategies that would further address the problem of insecurity in the country.
“With the enormous task ahead of us, we must all put on our thinking caps and articulate strategies that would promote collaboration and create the necessary synergy that would guarantee our safety and security in our country.
“The task demands a clear and deeper understanding of the mandates of the Ministry and its Para-military Agencies as well as the Board.
“Our understanding and appreciation of these responsibilities will to a very large extent determine how far and how well we deliver on our individual mandates which all contribute to internal security and safety in the country,” he said.
He added that in order to achieve Mr President’s mandate, there was an urgent need to put in place well-thought-out policies and programmes that would ensure effectiveness and efficiency toward improving internal security.
“There is a need to determine where we are on the delivery of internal security, the challenges and the limitations. These would enable us to develop plans and strategies with timelines for effective service delivery,” the Minister said.
He stressed that there was a need to ensure and maintain relative public safety and security of all Nigerians and foreign nationals resident in the country.