Historical mistrust, land-grabbing, illegal mining, banditry, trigger violence —Presidency

•As Tinubu receives zonal briefs on security, infrastructures

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement in four of the geo-political zones in the country, on Monday, submitted unified assessment covering insecurity, infrastructure deficits and citizens’ response to government policies where they enumerated peculiar challenges in their respective regions.

In attendance at the State House where they briefed the president on security and development situations in their various regions, were Dr Abiodun Easiet, Abdullahi Tanko-Yakassai,  Chioma Nweze and Moremi Ojudu,  Presidential aides on   Community Engagement in the North-Central, North-West, South-East and South-West, respectively.

Addressing journalists at the end of their meeting with President Tinubu, the aide for North-Central attributed the security challenge in the region to historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry  and   illegal mining, among others.

Easiet maintained that insecurity in the region remained “deeply rooted in unresolved historical tensions and resource conflicts.”

She said:” Our briefing focused on insecurity, and we identified historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry and illegal mining as major triggers of violence. The president has promised to strengthen peace structures and ensure our communities are safe.”

According to her,  traditional rulers, farmers’ associations, Fulani groups, youths and women will be involved  in the  conflict-resolution efforts.

She further identified the poor shape of the roads in the region, particularly the Kogi-Kwara corridor as complicating security incidents, as she lamented that bandits take advantage of it.

She  said President Tinubu has pledged to mandate the relevant ministries to  fix  the infrastructural challenge.

Her counterpart for the North West, Abdullahi Tanko-Yakassai,  said a high number of out-of-school children was a critical  challenge.

He said his office has seized the initiative to mitigate the trend by enrolling  many vulnerable children in primary schools, providing uniforms, books and learning materials.

In her presentation, the Senior Special Assistant for the South East, Chioma Nweze, said her zone had “hit the ground running” through the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly aimed at enhancing community engagement and strengthening understanding of government policies.

She said, unlike in the past, the zone is experiencing federal presence, particularly through intervention in road construction and ministerial appointments, giving the south east a sense of belonging.

The presidential aide for South West, Omoremi Ojudu, said the session with President Tinubu was insightful. She said President Tinubu placed emphasis on expansion of enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) to strengthen identity management nationwide.