A group of concerned Northern elders have said that the deteriorating security situation in the country is appalling and undermining the nation’s sovereignty.
The elders under the aegis of North East Elders for Peace and Development (NEEPD) said on Saturday in Abuja, that the situation must be urgently addressed to sustain the nation’s sovereignty.
They regretted that a country, acclaimed to be the “giant of Africa”, will degenerate to a level where non-state actors will develop the capacity to threaten the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the way and manner suspected bandits, kidnappers, insurgents, militia men, armed robbers as well as other criminal elements have continued to carry on.
The National Coordinator of the NEEPD, Engr. Zana Goni, said that no stone should be left unturned, in an effort to ensure sanity was returned to all parts of the country.
According to them, the seeming free reign with which the enemies of the state operate, may have created an impression in many quarters of failure of intelligence, which is the bedrock of national security and safety.
He said that no economic and sustainable development could thrive in the face of the mounting insecurity.
While drawing parallels with the events in some African countries like Mali, Algeria, Western Sahara, Somalia, Sudan and others, they called for responsible and responsive leadership, to end the cycle of blood-letting across parts of the country.
They, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to his Service Chiefs, to “secure Nigeria”, through the deployment of all available military assets.
Goni said, “We expressed the hope that Friday’s directive, coming at the time it did, may have a turn-around effect on the deplorable situation, which had led to the country’s third-place rating on the global terrorism index.”
The Northern elders said that those that had sold the dummy that President Buhari was not in charge of affairs of the country, can now have a change of heart as his appearance over the weekend, should naturally put an end to such conspiracy theory.
“In the face of this, however, we are consoled by Mr. President’s outing over the weekend which, to all intents and purposes, was not only firm and affirmative, but enough to douse tension, which was reaching a crescendo.
“We call on Mr. President to, as a matter of urgent national importance and priority, cause a review to the appointment of Service Chiefs, in obedience to the federal character principle; a mandatory constitutional provision to reflect the south East officers. This we believe will further unite the country and reverse the negative impression about the administration,” Goni said.
