Insecurity: President Buhari must provide leadership ― Hon Gadgi

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gadgi has called on the Executive arm of goverment to demonstrate sufficient political will to fish out moles within the Armed Forces.

Gadgi gave the charge via a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, specifically expressed displeasure over the abysmal release of funds to security Agencies amidst myriads of security challenges facing the country.

In his clarion call, the lawmaker who called for decisive action from President Buhari underscored the need for Mr President to provide leadership in the bid to stop heinous crimes being perpetrated against armless Nigerians across the country, particularly the mindless killings in Plateau State.

He said: “On 29th day of May 2015, you resurrected the hope and optimism of bringing back robust economic transformation devoid of corruption and free from insecurity via your three-point agenda when you spoke highly about defending and protecting the Constitution and by simple reflection, you swore to uphold the primary responsibility of Government as enshrined in Section 14(b) thus: ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’.

“You declared explicitly that equitable and efficient strategies would be adopted by all the machineries of Government to end the wanton destructions of lives and properties particularly those associated with the activities of Boko Haram which hitherto had extended beyond the North East to the North Central and other parts of Nigeria.

“Indeed, and without doubt, you spoke a “language” well understood by the enemies of peace and progress and you were able to subdue them “technically.”

“You worked assiduously to reinforce due process and transparency in the public service; revived a breathless railway sub sector from the transport sector; engendered agricultural revolution in key productive sectors like the rice revolution and potatoes value chain.

“You did not waste time to focus on the poor and the vulnerable Nigerians hence you introduced the social net programs focusing on conditional cash transfer schemes, the Anchor Borrower program, School Feeding Programme, Safe School Initiative and so on.

“But your Excellency, about six years down the line and having secured a second term mandate from Nigerians, it is heart wrenching to note that insecurity has worsened in the country leading to interrogative concerns by people such as what is anti-corruption without security; what is the value of food if farms are not safe for agriculture to thrive; what is the significance of infrastructure devoid of security?”

Gadgi who picked holes in the current security strategies being adopted by Buhari’s administration, argued that the safety of Nigerians cannot be guaranteed.

“As it is, they can no longer hold water in a cup let alone in a basket. The gaps are becoming wider by the day with serious concerns such as the plight of many school children still in the den of captives; brazen daylight attacks on communities and travelers which have become almost unabated; the recent shameful raid on the highly fortified Nigeria Defence Academy, (NDA) Kaduna; and the metropolitan attacks in Jos, Plateau State among others. All these have heightened fears of insecurity in Nigeria.

“The recent merger of command and control of the special military Operations in Plateau State extending to parts of Kaduna state and Taraba State code named Operations Safe Haven (OSH) with the office of the General Officer Commanding 3rd Armoured Division, Rukuba, Jos; has failed to yield the desired results when compared to the successes recorded during the pre-merger period.

“The abysmal budgetary allocations and releases to the Armed Forces and other security organizations leave less to be desired in transforming the law enforcement agencies towards becoming much more efficient and proactive in addressing insecurity challenges in the country.

“The poor implementation of the Community Policing component of the Police Act 2020 which I sponsored and was signed by you on the 16th day of September 2020. Questions have been raised as to where the trained civilians were deployed to. What are their current contributions to security in the communities that they serve? What has been the level of motivation for the implementation of the other components of the Act regarding responsibilities and so on?

“The silence towards a quick resolution of the impasse between the Police Service Commission and the Office of the Inspector General of Police concerning the recruitment of personnel has created a serious security gap.

“The unjust Amnesty to repentant Boko Haram fighters under Operation Safe Corridor policy even when many displaced Nigerians have not been adequately rehabilitated and reintegrated in their homeland is torturing to the psyche of many Nigerians.”

While frowning at the lingering crisis in Plateau State, Hon. Gadgi said “Plateau is undoubtedly a miniature Nigeria. It is the North of the South and the South of the North. You were once in Jos as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 3rd Armoured Division and I have no doubt in my mind that you are aware that the serenity of the State and the peaceful nature of its people is second to none in Nigeria. The State has always been known as the Home of Peace and Tourism.

“However, the resurgence of killings and mayhems that have visited the state in the last few weeks might have revealed a laxity of leadership at the centre in being proactive towards addressing justly and equitably reported cases of attacks and threats to lives and properties.

“Today, the externalities of the nature of insecurity in Plateau points to the failure of your government to deal decisively with the factors that have seemingly become indicative of rising animosity, mutual suspicion, religious fault lines and the dangerous perception of the “them” and ‘us’ syndrome’.”

While noting that these factors have slow response to stem the tide of attacks in local communities against a quick response to selected incidences of violence by some security outfits among others, he maintained that “It is thus unfortunate and unacceptable for my people and indeed the good people of Plateau State to continue to experience unprovoked recrudescent attacks on their communities.

“Whereas the Governor has tried in the last six years to ensure some peace and stability and the Governor has repeatedly solicited for your kind support in logistics and actual security interventions, it behoves on me as a representative of the people to follow suit by reiterating on a general note that the current federal governments’ strategies towards addressing spate of insecurity across the country are no longer effective and have failed to deal squarely with the challenges of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity.

“To this end, only a quick response may avert a calamity capable of throwing the entire nation into unrest. With particular reference to Plateau State, it should even be quicker given the miniature nature of Plateau State. And God forbid that this is allowed to spiral out of control.

“It will amount to whipping sentiments and only taking the ‘Donkey to the River and denying it the right to drink water’ if I do not draw your Excellency’s attention to what need to be done to address insecurity and particularly restore peace to the people of Plateau State and to also engender confidence in your leadership and ultimately safeguard lives and properties.

“But let me reiterate here that His Excellency, Governor Simon Lalong has for the six years he has been in office, been up and doing and has succeeded to a very large extent to ensure peace and security in the three geopolitical zones of the state. But as one cannot clap with one hand, these efforts can be complemented for sustainable peace and tranquillity.”

As part of efforts geared toward ending myriads of security crises bedeviling the country, he called for quick implementation of the resolutions passed by the House vis-avis the recommendations of the security summit organized by the House.

“It is my strong belief or instance, that if the Executive had taken the issue of fishing out betrayers in the Armed forces as recommended by the House seriously, the attack on NDA Kaduna might have been averted.

“The Federal Government should without hesitation, release the N10 billion it promised the Plateau State Government to aid the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) so that persons affected by the various crises can return to their communities and pick up the pieces of their lives.

“The DSS, the Police, and the NIA all have the capacity to engineer a robust actionable intelligence gathering and utilization thereby preventing both internal and external aggressions against Nigerian citizens. Stepping up to their responsibilities by imposing regular supervisory mechanisms would ensure their efficiency.

“Failures in combating insecurity through professional negligence should be dealt with accordingly. Infact, at this critical time, excuses for failure should not be tolerated. This will send a very strong signal to the operatives to sit up.

“Any serving official of the Federal Government that has been previously investigated and or fingered in the past or present in any associated dealings with any group considered to be a threat to peace and security of Nigeria should be relieved of such responsibilities. This can create confidence in the citizens to believe and support the government in fighting insecurity.

“Collaboration amongst security agents should be deepened in areas of intelligence sharing and joint operations. There is also a need for strengthening of ties between state-owned security outfits with the conventional security agents in the country. This has the potential to build a virile synergy in addressing problems of frustration during investigations for prosecutions of suspects.

“There is need for a harmonious reconsideration of the various recommendations contained in the previous reports of inquiries conducted by Federal Government Commissions since 2001 crises in Plateau State. Significant areas of the recommendations that could assist towards addressing deep-seated animosities among the people should be implemented while those that have been overtaken by events or could further add to the security problem should be discarded.

“A National Peace Building Agency that can inter-alia facilitate and coordinate peacebuilding processes should be established. 

“The issue of grazing routes and grazing reserve should be handled with caution. States that have earlier indicated an interest in the National Livestock Transformation Plan and Ranching should be supported while subsidies on livestock should equally be considered.

“I recommend strong collaborations between the Federal and State Governments to create jobs, empower youths for self-employment, check unregistered migrants, encourage agriculture, transform local government systems to work effectively and facilitate negotiation for a better Nigeria.

“The task of re-building a better Nigeria rests on all of us. But Mr President, you must show leadership that can drive all Nigerians towards believing in an indivisible and united country; a land of opportunities; a just and egalitarian society where justice, equity and fair play are the hallmarks. Let’s not give up on Nigeria and God bless Nigeria.”

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