The insecurity that is now plaguing the nation, according to Delta State Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, is a result of the poor seed that was sown a few years ago.
As a special guest at the 11th Zik Lecture Series at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Okowa made this statement in Anambra.
The governor compared Nigeria’s security situation to a hydra-headed monster that has compromised public safety and imperilled Nigeria’s ability to remain a single, indivisible nation.
“To put it mildly, the increase in mass abductions, insurgencies, banditry, herder-farmer disputes, ritual killings, and other acts of terrorism is terrifying.
Terrorists are getting more adept in their operations as a result of technological advancements, employing tools like drones, GPS systems, and encrypted messaging platforms to disseminate their message and enlist new members into their network.
“In my opinion, Nigeria is experiencing the consequences of the ill seeds it sown a few years ago by encouraging kidnappers by paying the ransom.
It was a catastrophic error that gave rise to a sizable abduction business, he claimed.
He asserted that there is a direct correlation between rising terrorism and economic inequality and inequitable income distribution.
It is worrisome how much wealth disparity there is in our nation.
The poverty rate, which was 40% in 2021 and is projected to be around 45% in 2022, or 90 million people living below the poverty line, is also troubling, he continued.
Our teeming young population has become disenchanted and alienated as a result, which has contributed to an increase in cybercrime, kidnappings, ritual killings, and other violent activities that jeopardize our national security.
Other contributing factors to the country’s current state of insecurity, according to Okowa, are the lack of modern security infrastructure, citizens’ easy access to weapons, an unequal distribution of power, religious bigotry and intolerance, and the government’s disregard for the citizens’ fundamental human rights.
The governor of Delta State offered suggestions, saying that we must immediately create a comprehensive strategy to handle our security issues in the short, medium, and long terms.
“We must generate the political resolve to deal forcefully with criminals, regardless of their ethnic groups, faiths, or position, in addition to a contemporary security architecture based on technology.
The herdsmen-farmers dispute, which is quickly turning into the biggest danger to the stability and economic health of our country, must be addressed.
The conflicts between the mostly Christian farmers and the nomadic Muslim Fulani pastoralists have persisted, costing farms, valuable crops, livestock, and lives.
“This threat to the stability and unity of our nation must be immediately addressed to lower the degree of insecurity and secure food security.
I believe there is a solution to this mess through ranching and cow colonies, supported by the federal government.
Okowa, the vice presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed confidence that election-related violence, including ballot box robberies, will decline under the new Electoral Act’s requirements for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results.
He continued by saying that in addition to having a strong leader, Nigeria also has to have strong institutions. He listed several of Nigeria’s institutions that needed to be reinforced, including the legislature, police, media, and INEC.
