As the
President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, would in a couple of weeks
take over the mantle of leadership, there are several security
challenges awaiting him.
These challenges must be adequately tackled for him to be further respected by Nigerians. These are security challenges that mostly led to the defeat at the poll of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Aside from the challenges of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, there are other issues. One of which is the unmitigated corruption in many facets of the Nigerian sectors.
There is also the issue of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Human Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) being starved of funds to travel for investigations.
There is the Fulani herdsmen versus farmers’ prolonged war, which had led to senseless killings.
The police impunity when it comes to human rights issues, with highlights on torture, wanton killings and disappearance of suspects from police custody, is another troubling security issue.
Those being paid with taxpayers’ money to protect them are instead, killing the taxpayers. There are also issues of reckless torturing, shooting and killings of civilians actively carried out by military personnel. Authorities of security agencies know that their agents commit these crimes, but nothing is done about it. In most cases, the matter is swept under the carpet or the agent posted out.
It is this sort of impunity among uniformed personnel, especially which gave rise to the slogan, “unknown soldier”.
There is, no doubt, that corruption and atrocities committed by Boko Haram were some of the most elemental factors which cost Jonathan his re-election. Many Nigerians felt Jonathan handled the Boko Haram issue with kid gloves.
The abduction of the Chibok girls was clearly the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Jonathan lost all love and respect from his countrymen. Security stakeholders expected him to visit Chibok after the kidnap and perhaps do everything possible to bring back the girls, but he never did. Even in the midst of international outcry. The status quo remains.
Jonathan, however, reluctantly summoned courage to visit Chibok just as his political campaign kicked off. It was also that period that he deigned to visit the Nigerian troops that had been dying every day, fighting the more equipped insurgents. The nail on Jonathan’s political casket was his sudden decisiveness in the battle against the insurgents in the wake of his campaigns.
The social media was filled with scornful and angry Nigerians who wondered why he waited so long, to take action. Not only did he suddenly take action, the action was quite suddenly effective, as Nigerian troops began to rout the insurgents. In the international climes, corruption dogged Nigeria footsteps. Many felt Jonathan was too lenient in the fight against corruption. He was once quoted to have said: “Stealing is not corruption.”
When Nigerians raged, he attempted to justify and clarify the statement, but failed woefully. Not only did he not fight corruption with his entirety, he brazen gave presidential pardon to former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha was once charged by Metropolitan Police for money laundering.
A good number of people will also not forget the former Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah’s saga in a hurry. She was involved in a controversy of highly inflating the purchase of BMW bullet-proof cars without following due process.
Nigerians expected stiffer penalty from the Jonathan- led administration against what many term as the height of corruption, but instead, Oduah was made Jonathan’s Campaign’s Director of Administration and Finance.
Boko Haram is one serious security issue which Nigerians would be waiting and watching to see how fast Buhari would effectively tackle. Financial crimes institutions should be checked and funds made available to give bite to the anti-graft war. Anyone arrested for financial crimes, no matter his or her social standings, should be prosecuted.
There should be no sacred cow.
NAPTIP, the agency saddled with the fight against human trafficking, was also alleged to have been starved of funds for investigations, enlightenment campaigns and trainings. The country’s international ranking, which was once on tier one, dropped.
Presently, the most disturbing security problem in the country is the killing of Nigerians by security agencies.
The latest, which has attracted hues and cries from Nigerians is the arrest and torture to death of Chibuike Edeh, a worker with Protea Hotel, Benin, Edo State.
The death of the 27-year-old victim sparked a protest on the premises of the Protea Hotel, Benin, after his body was found. He was arrested by officers from the Adesuwa Police Division for allegedly stealing N48, 000 from one of the rooms in the hotel.
Till date, nobody had been dealt with in respect of the young man’s death.
Security agencies should begin to be held accountable for cases that had to do with torture and reckless killings of civilians, especially those in their custody.
The importance of a secured nation cannot be overemphasised. Secured citizens are not only happy, but the economy will thrive, becoming an attraction for foreign investors.
Nigerians await Buhari’s actions after May 29.
These challenges must be adequately tackled for him to be further respected by Nigerians. These are security challenges that mostly led to the defeat at the poll of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Aside from the challenges of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, there are other issues. One of which is the unmitigated corruption in many facets of the Nigerian sectors.
There is also the issue of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Human Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) being starved of funds to travel for investigations.
There is the Fulani herdsmen versus farmers’ prolonged war, which had led to senseless killings.
The police impunity when it comes to human rights issues, with highlights on torture, wanton killings and disappearance of suspects from police custody, is another troubling security issue.
Those being paid with taxpayers’ money to protect them are instead, killing the taxpayers. There are also issues of reckless torturing, shooting and killings of civilians actively carried out by military personnel. Authorities of security agencies know that their agents commit these crimes, but nothing is done about it. In most cases, the matter is swept under the carpet or the agent posted out.
It is this sort of impunity among uniformed personnel, especially which gave rise to the slogan, “unknown soldier”.
There is, no doubt, that corruption and atrocities committed by Boko Haram were some of the most elemental factors which cost Jonathan his re-election. Many Nigerians felt Jonathan handled the Boko Haram issue with kid gloves.
The abduction of the Chibok girls was clearly the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Jonathan lost all love and respect from his countrymen. Security stakeholders expected him to visit Chibok after the kidnap and perhaps do everything possible to bring back the girls, but he never did. Even in the midst of international outcry. The status quo remains.
Jonathan, however, reluctantly summoned courage to visit Chibok just as his political campaign kicked off. It was also that period that he deigned to visit the Nigerian troops that had been dying every day, fighting the more equipped insurgents. The nail on Jonathan’s political casket was his sudden decisiveness in the battle against the insurgents in the wake of his campaigns.
The social media was filled with scornful and angry Nigerians who wondered why he waited so long, to take action. Not only did he suddenly take action, the action was quite suddenly effective, as Nigerian troops began to rout the insurgents. In the international climes, corruption dogged Nigeria footsteps. Many felt Jonathan was too lenient in the fight against corruption. He was once quoted to have said: “Stealing is not corruption.”
When Nigerians raged, he attempted to justify and clarify the statement, but failed woefully. Not only did he not fight corruption with his entirety, he brazen gave presidential pardon to former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha was once charged by Metropolitan Police for money laundering.
A good number of people will also not forget the former Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah’s saga in a hurry. She was involved in a controversy of highly inflating the purchase of BMW bullet-proof cars without following due process.
Nigerians expected stiffer penalty from the Jonathan- led administration against what many term as the height of corruption, but instead, Oduah was made Jonathan’s Campaign’s Director of Administration and Finance.
Boko Haram is one serious security issue which Nigerians would be waiting and watching to see how fast Buhari would effectively tackle. Financial crimes institutions should be checked and funds made available to give bite to the anti-graft war. Anyone arrested for financial crimes, no matter his or her social standings, should be prosecuted.
There should be no sacred cow.
NAPTIP, the agency saddled with the fight against human trafficking, was also alleged to have been starved of funds for investigations, enlightenment campaigns and trainings. The country’s international ranking, which was once on tier one, dropped.
Presently, the most disturbing security problem in the country is the killing of Nigerians by security agencies.
The latest, which has attracted hues and cries from Nigerians is the arrest and torture to death of Chibuike Edeh, a worker with Protea Hotel, Benin, Edo State.
The death of the 27-year-old victim sparked a protest on the premises of the Protea Hotel, Benin, after his body was found. He was arrested by officers from the Adesuwa Police Division for allegedly stealing N48, 000 from one of the rooms in the hotel.
Till date, nobody had been dealt with in respect of the young man’s death.
Security agencies should begin to be held accountable for cases that had to do with torture and reckless killings of civilians, especially those in their custody.
The importance of a secured nation cannot be overemphasised. Secured citizens are not only happy, but the economy will thrive, becoming an attraction for foreign investors.
Nigerians await Buhari’s actions after May 29.
No comments:
Post a Comment