Sola Ojo, Kaduna
There is need for the Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, to overhaul the security architecture of the country to capture community intelligence as current strategies are not working.
Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP) in collaboration with Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Savanna Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) and Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Associations, made this call yesterday at a two-day Northern Nigeria Security Conference to discuss the issues of rural banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, farmer herder clash and insurgency.
In an interview held shortly after the opening of the conference, the convener and one of the resounding voices in the North, Dr Usman Bugaje, reiterated the need to tell those who occupy government positions to tell the president the truth about the security realities on ground without making it appear politically motivated.
“What is happening in Nigeria today in terms of security is known to everybody. A lot of killings and atrocities are under reported. We have a situation where things were deteriorating and still deteriorating and every move by the security agency is not translating to positive results.
“It becomes necessary, therefore, to re-examine the situation and explore the community approach. We want to see what the community can do so that we can come together and salvage this country.
“In these two days, we have brought experts even though many of them have retired from security forces, so they can bring their expertise to bear and see how the communities can compliment the efforts of the security.
“Now, we are not here to blame any particular person. We did underscore few points of action. First, there is the need for us to take this issue of security very seriously with all responsibility. There should be no room for politics or joke here.
“So, we want people who are holding government positions from the lowest up to the president to understand that, what they have been doing is not working. This is because, it is the citizens who can tell you whether what you are doing is working or not.