THE Federal Government has been called upon to forestall the “looming descent to anarchy” due to the spate of insecurity in the country.
The Amirah of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajiya Rofiah Sanni, made this call in on Wednesday in Abuja at a press briefing by a coalition of Muslim women groups under FOMWAN on insecurity as it affects women.
Hajiya Sanni said the association was compelled to add its voice to the call for more clinical operation that would remove sense of insecurity from Nigerians of all faiths and regions.
She described gunmen’s incessant invasion of schools as an audacious attack on education which could spell doom for the country’s development.
The FOMWAN leader described as pathetic the scourge of kidnapping of people, particularly schoolchildren in their schools.
This, she noted, had discouraged many children from going to school and called on the government to up its game in securing lives and property.
“Inasmuch as we acknowledge the efforts of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari on security, we say that their best is not good enough,” she declared.
Sanni called for synergy between federal, state and local authorities to effectively bring insecurity in the country to a halt.
She said: “The government is doing a lot but it does not seem to be effective as kidnapping and banditry seem to be increasing by the day. The government needs to reach out to critical stakeholders in the North through consultations to get inputs on how to tackle this challenge more effectively.
“Local community leaders should be called upon to take up the responsibility of engaging their people on connivance at the community level which is aiding the problem. These include informants, suppliers, collaborators, etc.
“State governors of the region should collaborate in coming up with a holistic strategy on economy and security and implement it simultaneously to achieve a more wholesome impact in the region.
“The religious leaders should suggest workable solutions to government and the people, using their vast knowledge of religion, should help mobilise the people in masjids to unite and have a common approach to protecting and helping themselves.
“Individually we should also examine ourselves and see what we are doing wrong and correct it because it is individual actions that combine to become collective action.
“The president needs to widen his cycle of consultations to involve local stakeholders on the causes and solutions to this wave of banditry.
“The president should explore all opportunities for non-military solutions by reaching out personally to traditional rulers, religious leaders, local community leaders and elders in the region.
“We are appealing to government at all levels to give back women their dignity, reverse this ugly trend and make our villages and country safe once again.
“We are equally calling on the men to take up their responsibility of protecting the women and children, fight for their rights and ensure no harm comes to them.”
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