Joe Effiong, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker, Onofiok Luke, has recommended patriotism, selflessness, and collective sacrifices as panacea to the prevailing economic and security crises plaguing the country.
Speaking yesterday during a courtesy call on him by the state command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), led by new Comptroller, Livingstone Amadi Luke said the country cannot continue to live in denial of the obvious.
“Truth is, we cannot find solutions to our problems if we keep living in denial. I believe the greatest point of leadership is the acknowledgement of one’s weakness and call for help. We must acknowledge the fact that we have a challenge as a country and we must be open to sitting on the table of discussion of these challenges.
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“From economic to unemployment and to security, I think this is the time to talk about our problems and how to collectively solve them.
“Within our different spheres, this time calls for patriotic acts, sacrifices, and selflessness. We should do away with parochialism and clannish sentiments. It is not going to do us any good as a country.
“There is crisis in the critical agencies in the country and we must accept this truth if we must resolve the crisis. If this crisis leads to an explosion, it will not consume only an Ibibio man, or a Hausa man, or an Igbo man but every one of us. It is not well with the county and the only way forward is for us to rise above partisanship and parochialism to address the issues.
“We need a bipartisan approach to solve the problems of Nigeria. We cannot afford to live in self denial. I use this opportunity to call on the president and the service chiefs as well as everybody to look beyond party and ethnic lines and put our hands on the deck to build a strong and viral country,” he saids.
Luke also expressed sadness about the security challenges in Etim Ekpo and some parts of Akwa Ibom state, and solicited the sharing of intelligence by the Nigeria Immigration Service with other security agencies with a view to curbing the unrest.
“It is sad, the situation we have in Etim Ekpo. As a government, I know Governor Udom Emmanuel is doing so much through necessary collaborations with security agencies to stem the tide of security challenges. And I believe as part of the security architecture in the state, the NIS can contribute more through its key responsibility of border patrol.
The speaker said human trafficking is a national challenge which the immigration service and other agencies must double effort in tackling.
Earlier, Amadi had said he and his men where in the Assembly to keep the speaker abreast of the cardinal functions, activities as well as the achievements of the NIS under his watch in the state.