5 November 2019
The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) has called on the Federal and state governments to introduce and implement new policies and strategies without delay with a view to curb the myriads of security challenges in the country.
A Professor of Religion in the university of Calabar, Prof. Chike Augustine Ekeopara, made the call in Calabar during a Town Hall Meeting organised by NAS with the theme "Terrorism and Insecurity in Nigeria: The Way Forward".
Ekeopara added that government must put in place policies that will discourage people from taking to terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminal activities in the country.
The University Don mentioned some of the causes of insecurity to include; youth unemployment, unequal development of component states, porous borders and an opaque judiciary system among others.
According to him, creation of reasonable employment opportunities for the teaming unemployed youths in Nigeria, increase in the number of security personnel manning various borders in the country, free education policies, adequate intelligence gathering, and the reversal of rising poverty indices in the country were some of the steps that government at all levels should look into in other to caution the rising trend of insecurity in Nigeria.
“Majority of Nigerian youths are not gainfully employed and they lack basic necessities of life. Thus, they draw public attention to their plight by engaging in disruptive and destructive behavior and actions that upset the peace and stability of the society.
"These youths, some of whom are University graduates, resort to armed robbery, violence, kidnapping, rituals and assassinations. They are idle minds in the devil’s workshop as the saying goes.
“Majority of Nigerians are ravaged by the pangs of poverty. Many cannot afford three square meals a day. This is one of the major causes of insecurity in Nigeria. The current poverty index in Nigeria is alarmingly high, as about 87 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty and this is according to the World Poverty Clock report of 2018. This is very unfair to the poor citizens of a nation very rich in economic resources.
“Different regions of Nigeria have different speeds of development. As a result of this, the oil-rich Niger Delta region of the country feels aggrieved when the Federal Government use their oil money to develop the non-oil regions while their own region is neglected. They feel cheated and this brought about militancy and kidnapping in the Niger Delta.
“The porous coastal borders of Nigeria is one of the root causes of terrorism and insecurity in the country. The borders are very poorly guarded and insurgents from neighboring countries penetrate and infiltrate Nigeria to perpetrate all forms of criminality," he said.
Earlier, the National President of the National Association of Seadogs, Emmanuel Gbahabo, said the association was concerned about the current level of insecurity in the country and wanted to contribute to finding solutions to it.
Gbahabo said that the meeting was timely as it would profer solutions on how to reduce the high level of insecurity trend in the country.
“Nigeria is going through a terrible situation today where lives and property are no longer safe. It is difficult to travel freely without nursing the fear of what might happen.
“We believe that we could contribute to solving the insecurity problem, that is why we are here and whatever solutions that would be found here, would be communicated to the appropriate quarters,” he added.
