Insecurity in the North: A memo to President Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hit the ground running since he was inaugurated. He has proven he is fully prepared to take tough decisions for the interest of the country. 

But it is important to point out one area where his attention is most needed. No nation can develop with ravaging insecurity. 

While Nigeria has recorded remarkable progress since the restoration of democracy in 1999, the deteriorating insecurity resulting in wanton killings of defenseless Nigerians by non-state actors and other criminals eroded the gains achieved so far. There is loss of confidence by Nigerians over the inability of successive governments to tame the monster of insecurity that has bedeviled the country, particularly in the North.

While the immediate past administration was able to contain the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, leaving remnants that attack soft targets, the activities of bandits in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna states and farmers/herders clashes have compounded and escalated tension in the region.   

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Northern Nigeria, the food basket of not only Nigeria but also African countries, has become a shadow of its former self. The intractable security challenges in the North have continued to pose threat to food security and education development.

Many rural farmers have deserted their ancestral homes as bandits impose levies, abduct and kill defaulters at will. Schools are frequently being attacked and students kidnapped. The horrible situation has discouraged parents from sending their children or wards to school.

Though, concerted efforts have been put in place by the government to arrest the situation, no doubt insecurity has so far defied the efforts. 

However, with the new governors in the troubled states, one foresees an end to the lingering insecurity in the region.  Many of them have embarked on consultations with relevant government departments and agencies as well as security formations to address the issue.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should help the state governors through military and other logistics support. For better policing, the president should invest heavily in intelligence gathering, scale up recruitment of security personnel, re-jig our security architecture and above all work with neighbouring countries to eliminate insecurity in Nigeria.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua, Kaduna State