Insecurity: No need for unpatriotic comments

There is no better expression to describe the Federal Government’s attitude towards insecurity than gross negligence. The president’s comment about those raising their voices concerning insecurity in the country as unpatriotic Nigerians is highly ridiculous and uncalled for. Nigeria is now at a crossroads; the clamour by Nigerians that Nigeria is not safe anymore and that insecurity is about to run the country over seems to the men at the helms like ordinary barking of dogs.

This is a time when the best of the security agencies is not enough to curb the menace of insecurity, a time when insurgency is yet to be decimated, a time when both the rich and the poor are being kidnapped everyday by gunmen, a time when alleged herdsmen are killing people on their farms and raping women, a time when armed robbery is on the rise daily, a time when the economy is bad and more Nigerians are becoming poorer, a time when our streets are flooded by an army of unemployed graduates. It thus seems that the Federal Government does not know what line of action to toe.

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The president’s statement is as good as saying that Nigerians should keep mute and allow themselves to be maimed and killed by bestial beasts.

I greatly implore the presidency to be appreciative of Nigerians for their perseverance in these turbulent times by thinking deeply before responding to issues raised by the citizens. A wise government douses security tension in the polity; it does not add insult to the injury of its citizens.

When a disease is eating up your arm, you don’t hide it under the cloak; else, you will not only lose the hand but the whole mind, body and soul. The government, more than ever should seek international help immediately concerning insecurity. The government should as a matter of urgency take into consideration the advice of many prominent Nigerians, especially past presidents and heads of state to call a national security summit and decisively deal with this menace of insecurity before it turns genocidal. The government should also recruit more able hands into our security agencies and they should also equip them with modern ammunition.

Ishola Akintunde

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