Jonathan made the
assertion in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open a two-day National
Summit on Security Challenges in Nigeria, jointly sponsored by the
Nigeria Police and Vanguard Newspapers.
Represented by
retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade, the Minister of Police Affairs,
Jonathan said that the time had come to rise and address the challenge.
He said it was in
realisation of this that a Presidential Committee to Re-organise the
police was recently set up having observed some deficiencies in the
capacity and professionalism of the force.
``A lot of emphasis
is being placed on training and retraining, improving the sophistication
of weaponry and equipment, improved welfare of officers and men and the
image of the police.
``I am optimistic
that the political will being demonstrated by this administration will
yield the desired result in the fight against terrorism, improve crime
investigation and enhance public order policing.
``This will guarantee the ultimate protection of lives and property and law enforcement in our society,’’ he said.
The Chairman of the
occasion, Mr Gambo Jimeta, a former Inspector General of Police,
described the security situation in the country as ``self-inflicted’’.
Jimeta said, “The
insecurity we have in the country now is a self-inflicted situation by
previous governments, leaders and other stakeholders who could not
really understand that if one Nigerian has a feeling of insecurity and
he is afraid to go about his business and enjoy the God given rights
that a state is supposed to give him, it is that one person that is
weakening the well being of the state.
“What I want us to
understand is that our current situation is very self-inflicted, arising
not only the situation in Nigeria, but almost all developing countries.
You cannot have a state and fail to provide for the institutions of the
state that are supposed to secure the state and therefore its citizens.
“What is happening
is for the leaders to throw up their hand and say there is nothing they
can do or like we hear in Nigeria that people from one part of the
country are not in sync with what is happening or that people from one
part of the country are not in sync with the regime.
“You cannot tell me
there is no part of this country where you can say a Christian cannot
rule this country because Gowon has ruled this country for nine years
after him, there was also General Olusegun Obasanjo who ruled for some
time and then, he ruled again.
“So, when people
want to go and seek conflict, they would becloud the truth that people
are too poor and they have no alternative to life except to go on the
side of lawlessness. What is again wrong is for the authorities to think
that it is anything more than that.
“Incidents of murder
are specifically taken care of in our Criminal Code and so should not
be swept under the carpet. Police should investigate conclusively to
bring to book those people and we must also make sure that the judicial
system of this country is not truncated by interests.
“If a man commits a
murder, it is a murder. If we start to becloud murder and say it is
religious thing; I tell you, there is no religious murder. There is need
for us to adjust our lifestyle so we can move forward.
“The colonial
masters provided for the security agencies to be able to perform their
duties. The military, police, the security agencies were not lacking in
any way and their morals were high.
“The composition of
those units that were considered vital to any government are such that
they were carefully selected that they would command the respect and
affinity of the community they served and if there was anything that
could truncate that relationship, everything was stopped until that
problem was solved.
“There were
stringent laws and regulations to ensure that the money given out were
not abused. We ran into this trouble when out government started
neglecting this important foundation and went into other ventures that
could have been carried out by private people and private enterprises.
“So, we are
witnesses to what has been happening since independence. Gradually this
notion of not providing for the basic needs of our people brought us to
our knees. Everybody is crying; everybody is kneeling down”.
``Whenever you see a
country running into security problem, it is when it starts to neglect
this all important foundation for the well being of the nation. ``There
is nowhere in Nigeria today where you can sleep with your eyes closed.
Let’s put our priorities right, build a robust defence and internal
security system,’’ Jimeta said.
He decried a
situation where criminal gangs were more armed and government officials
protect themselves, leaving the citizenry at the mercy of God. ``Things
are not all right, things are going wrong. The people are frustrated,’’
adding that if the situation was not addressed, the people might be
forced to react negatively.
Jimeta said there
was a disconnect between the government and the people and blamed the
Boko Haram insurgency and other challenges facing the nation on bad
governance. He stressed that no religion encouraged violence and
killings and called on relevant government agencies to arrest and bring
to book all those perpetrating criminal acts.
The former police
boss warned those aspiring to lead the country to desist from
``irresponsible’’ utterances capable of causing crises. He commended the
police and other security agents for paying the supreme price in the
effort to arrest the current situation.
On his part, the
Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, noted that security
was fundamental to existence of any society. Abubakar, however, said
that as a nation grows in terms of development, the nature of the
threats it faced become sophisticated.
``Security is
undoubtedly the foundation on which any society’s socio-economic and
political developments are built. ``Insecurity, therefore, is a venomous
threat to the well being of the citizens of any nation and a canker
worm that destroys the roots that hold the existence of any nation,’’
Abubakar said.
According to him,
the security situation in Nigeria in recent times has been a source of
great concern to all patriotic citizens and to the international friends
of Nigeria.
Mr Gbenga Adefaye,
the Editor-In-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers, said the organisation had
the social responsibility to help in finding solution to the security
challenges.
Adefaye appealed to
authorities concerned to take seriously the recommendations that would
come out of the summit. The theme of the summit is ``Addressing
Nigeria’s Security Challenges for Sustainable Peace and Development’’.
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