BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Moh. Lukman, has said that an important determinant of return to peaceful coexistence and moving Nigeria forward under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress is dependent on the capacity to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
Indicating that poverty was a major reason for the worsening insecurity in the country, he said the Government must address the disturbing issue of high levels of poverty in Nigeria “beyond the narrow prism of politics”.
While noting that criminal activities of banditry and abduction of innocent school children were emerging to be very lucrative economic activities in the country, he said these activities were now a sophisticated business network that might involve people and institutions that are least suspected.
Lukman said this just as he called for the creation of State Police in view of the existential threats in the country, which he said was destroying the educational sector.
The DG, who spoke in a statement issued on Monday, noted that the North East had been ravaged by Boko Haram for more than 10 years, adding that the problems of banditry and kidnappings were gradually taking over the North West and North Central.
He said, “With all these sad reality of our existential threats in the country, which is destroying our educational sector, we are debating whether we should have state police or not. Anybody debating whether or not to have state police is simply part of the problem. How many private securities are guarding our homes?
“With all that is happening to our schools, isn’t it a case that requires the establishment of armed police station in each school to guarantee the safety of our children? Can this be provided by the Nigeria Police as it is constituted today? Isn’t this a challenge requiring emergency response?
“How can the lives of school children be so threatened, and we are busy debating politics? Our leaders in APC must wake up and stop all the hesitation around consideration of the APC True Federalism Report.
“Why was the Committee set up in the first place if our leaders knew that they are not committed to resolving problems that question what we have today? Isn’t it common knowledge that no problem can be solved by replicating exactly what may have created the problem?”
He added, “Being members of APC with all the commitment to contribute to the successes of the party, we need to tell ourselves the hard truth, which is that an important determinant of return to peaceful coexistence and moving Nigeria forward under the leadership of our party is dependent on the capacity of our governments to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
“Therefore, we need to engage the disturbing issue of high levels of poverty in Nigeria beyond the narrow prism of politics. Outside the simplistic strategy of promoting our political choices, it is equally important that we wake up to the reality that high levels of poverty have produced really unimaginable existential threats both for citizens and for the nation.
“Daily, lives are being lost, individual liberties and freedoms are under permanent threats, property and livelihoods are being destroyed. Every Nigerian today lives with the fear of one form of threat or the other. The North East has been ravaged by Boko Haram for more than 10 years. The problems of banditry and kidnappings are gradually taking over the North West and North Central.”
He said stakeholders might delude themselves “into all the debate based on the reckless consideration of amnesty and divisive ethnic and religious propaganda”, but added that “the reality is that criminal activities of banditry, kidnappings and abduction of innocent school children are emerging to be very lucrative economic activities in the country.”
He said, “It is now a sophisticated business network with frontend that may involve people and institutions that are least suspected.
“For instance, how is it possible that tens and hundreds of people would be abducted without any trace? Wouldn’t they pass through towns, villages, and communities? Along the routes they passed, wouldn’t there be police and security posts/stations, traditional and religious leaders that could confirm suspicious movements?
“As Nigerians and especially those of us who are members of APC, we must work hard to push our leaders to combine military and security strategy with successful implementation of ambitious national initiatives to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
“Our loyalty to our leaders must, as necessity, include getting our leaders to succeed in lifting Nigerians out of poverty. That is perhaps the only insurance cover that can support us to begin to move towards peaceful coexistence in the country.”
Lukman added, “So long as we have Nigerians living in conditions of extreme poverty, crime rates, including banditry, kidnapping and abduction of innocent school children will remain high. Reducing this challenge to issues of enforcement of law and order alone will be insufficient.
“The factory that produces bandits, kidnappers, abductors and insurgents is the very condition that holds more than 100 million Nigerians below the poverty line.”
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