ON THE SPATE OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA AND THE WAY FORWARD AS POSITED BY GBAGI
May 12, 2021 | News
I have on countless occasions reiterated the fact that with the rising insecurity across Nigeria, which is daily driving the country towards anarchy and a full-blown war, there is expedient need for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry.
-By Zik Gbemre
ON THE SPATE OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA AND THE WAY FORWARD AS POSITED BY GBAGI
There is an expedient need for the President Buhari-led Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry…
Kenneth Gbagi called on the Federal Government to “Declare a State of Emergency on the security system in Nigeria…”
“The problem we have about security in Nigeria is deceit, wayo…”
“Grazing of cattle, as a private business, should not be a national issue…”
The tune and momentum of the fight against insurgency and these violent crimes across the country, can best be set by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces…
I have on countless occasions reiterated the fact that with the rising insecurity across Nigeria, which is daily driving the country towards anarchy and a full-blown war, there is expedient need for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry. And that there is the need for the Government to be flexible and to adopt unconventional methods in addressing the peculiarities with the sort of insecurity posed by these terrorists’ elements. This is because desperate times call for desperate measures. It will be foolhardy, and according to Albert Einstein, insanity: to be doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
This is why I appreciate the fact that other relevant stakeholders like the Delta State 2023 Governorship hopeful, Kenneth Gbagi, have publicly expressed concerns about the nation’s insecurity situation and the way forward. Gbagi, a former Minister of State for Education, said: “THE SECURITY SITUATION IN NIGERIA CALLS FOR A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
The lawyer, businessman, and criminologist, made this proposition on Sunday, May 09, 2021 at his Oginibo country home in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, as a guest of FRONTLINE, an audience participatory interactive programme put together and hosted by members of Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) where he spoke on “Insecurity in Nigeria: The way forward.”
Expressing concern at the spate of insecurity in the country, Gbagi said: “The problem we have about security in Nigeria is deceit, wayo (in pidgin English). Like every other thing, THEY HAVE MADE SECURITY A MEANS OF FRISKING THE PEOPLE. To end insecurity there has to be determination.”
While he decried the current situation in Nigeria, he, however, absolved Governors from blame, saying that Governors are merely labeled as Chief Security Officers of the State but denied the power to control the operations of Security Agencies who take orders from Abuja. “The Governors, though, Chief Security Officers of their States, but they are handicapped because they don’t have the power of control over the Security Agencies who take orders from Abuja… The National Assembly should make amendments to the Constitution and make the Security Chiefs subject to the control of Governors in the States. Let’s not politicize the issue of security in the country. We must return to the drawing board; we must come together to talk about it how we are to live together as a people.
“The security situation in Nigeria has gone out of hand; we should call the professionals and challenge them to give an account of their stewardship as Security Officers for which they are being paid with tax payers’ money. Nigerians, journalists should demand from the Security Officers to explain why there is insecurity in the land despite the salaries being paid to them with tax payers’ money.
“The problem will continue or even get worse if we do not demand from Security Chiefs what they are doing about security, despite salaries being paid to them. Nigerians must take the responsibility of their security to heart.”
For me, I would not completely absorb the State Governors from blame as regards the current insecurity situation in the country. This is because as State Governors, they still command some measure of powers and influence in determining the tone and direction of things happening in their States. Nigerians are yet to see the aggressive bombardment and putting an end to these criminal elements, who are apparently of the same tribe as President Buhari. However, the tune and momentum of the fight against insurgency and these violent crimes across the country can best be set by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces – Muhammadu Buhari. This will make it easier for State Governors to follow suit with the momentum set by the Presidency.
Gbagi also picked holes with the Buhari-led Federal Government for being quite insensitive and lukewarm over the seriousness of the insecurity situation in the country, as well as the Presidency’s refusal to break the nation’s security operations into small microcosms to better address this menace.
On the problem of farmers versus fulani herders, Gbagi in response to a question spoke as an industrialist that he is, that, GRAZING OF CATTLE SHOULD NOT BE A NATIONAL ISSUE: “Grazing is not the business of Government because those who bring cows to graze are doing private business. IT IS A PRIVATE CONCERN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE TREATED AS A NATIONAL THING. COW IS NOT THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT; INDIVIDUAL STATE GOVERNMENTS SHOULD DETERMINE HOW HERDSMEN SHOULD OPERATE,” Gbagi contended.
Chief Kenneth Gbagi also advised the media practitioners not to allow blackmailers and parasites of the system to use them to actualize self-centered motives. Rather, they should focus on the past human capital development capacity of such politicians to better the lives of the people and ensure national security... “The kind of government we practice before now had the interest of the nation at heart. But where the interest of the nation is not what we are pursuing, the nation will die. We must go back to the drawing board. We must go back to discuss where we are and how we want to collectively get out of this mess...”
Zik Gbemre.
May 12, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
ON THE SPATE OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA AND THE WAY FORWARD AS POSITED BY GBAGI
There is an expedient need for the President Buhari-led Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry…
Kenneth Gbagi called on the Federal Government to “Declare a State of Emergency on the security system in Nigeria…”
“The problem we have about security in Nigeria is deceit, wayo…”
“Grazing of cattle, as a private business, should not be a national issue…”
The tune and momentum of the fight against insurgency and these violent crimes across the country, can best be set by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces…
I have on countless occasions reiterated the fact that with the rising insecurity across Nigeria, which is daily driving the country towards anarchy and a full-blown war, there is expedient need for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to wake up to its primary responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry. And that there is the need for the Government to be flexible and to adopt unconventional methods in addressing the peculiarities with the sort of insecurity posed by these terrorists’ elements. This is because desperate times call for desperate measures. It will be foolhardy, and according to Albert Einstein, insanity: to be doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
This is why I appreciate the fact that other relevant stakeholders like the Delta State 2023 Governorship hopeful, Kenneth Gbagi, have publicly expressed concerns about the nation’s insecurity situation and the way forward. Gbagi, a former Minister of State for Education, said: “THE SECURITY SITUATION IN NIGERIA CALLS FOR A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
The lawyer, businessman, and criminologist, made this proposition on Sunday, May 09, 2021 at his Oginibo country home in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, as a guest of FRONTLINE, an audience participatory interactive programme put together and hosted by members of Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) where he spoke on “Insecurity in Nigeria: The way forward.”
Expressing concern at the spate of insecurity in the country, Gbagi said: “The problem we have about security in Nigeria is deceit, wayo (in pidgin English). Like every other thing, THEY HAVE MADE SECURITY A MEANS OF FRISKING THE PEOPLE. To end insecurity there has to be determination.”
While he decried the current situation in Nigeria, he, however, absolved Governors from blame, saying that Governors are merely labeled as Chief Security Officers of the State but denied the power to control the operations of Security Agencies who take orders from Abuja. “The Governors, though, Chief Security Officers of their States, but they are handicapped because they don’t have the power of control over the Security Agencies who take orders from Abuja… The National Assembly should make amendments to the Constitution and make the Security Chiefs subject to the control of Governors in the States. Let’s not politicize the issue of security in the country. We must return to the drawing board; we must come together to talk about it how we are to live together as a people.
“The security situation in Nigeria has gone out of hand; we should call the professionals and challenge them to give an account of their stewardship as Security Officers for which they are being paid with tax payers’ money. Nigerians, journalists should demand from the Security Officers to explain why there is insecurity in the land despite the salaries being paid to them with tax payers’ money.
“The problem will continue or even get worse if we do not demand from Security Chiefs what they are doing about security, despite salaries being paid to them. Nigerians must take the responsibility of their security to heart.”
For me, I would not completely absorb the State Governors from blame as regards the current insecurity situation in the country. This is because as State Governors, they still command some measure of powers and influence in determining the tone and direction of things happening in their States. Nigerians are yet to see the aggressive bombardment and putting an end to these criminal elements, who are apparently of the same tribe as President Buhari. However, the tune and momentum of the fight against insurgency and these violent crimes across the country can best be set by the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces – Muhammadu Buhari. This will make it easier for State Governors to follow suit with the momentum set by the Presidency.
Gbagi also picked holes with the Buhari-led Federal Government for being quite insensitive and lukewarm over the seriousness of the insecurity situation in the country, as well as the Presidency’s refusal to break the nation’s security operations into small microcosms to better address this menace.
On the problem of farmers versus fulani herders, Gbagi in response to a question spoke as an industrialist that he is, that, GRAZING OF CATTLE SHOULD NOT BE A NATIONAL ISSUE: “Grazing is not the business of Government because those who bring cows to graze are doing private business. IT IS A PRIVATE CONCERN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE TREATED AS A NATIONAL THING. COW IS NOT THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT; INDIVIDUAL STATE GOVERNMENTS SHOULD DETERMINE HOW HERDSMEN SHOULD OPERATE,” Gbagi contended.
Chief Kenneth Gbagi also advised the media practitioners not to allow blackmailers and parasites of the system to use them to actualize self-centered motives. Rather, they should focus on the past human capital development capacity of such politicians to better the lives of the people and ensure national security... “The kind of government we practice before now had the interest of the nation at heart. But where the interest of the nation is not what we are pursuing, the nation will die. We must go back to the drawing board. We must go back to discuss where we are and how we want to collectively get out of this mess...”
Zik Gbemre.
May 12, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes