City Crime
Checking Insecurity Menace And Poverty
Nigeria is one country in the present world order that can be likened to the Biblical “land that devours its inhabitants.” Every day, inhabitants of the country are killed in their numbers, yet, nothing is done to either bring the murderers to book or prevent a recurrence.
It is no longer news that no day passes by in Nigeria without killing of human persons. What is news is that despite the plenitude of the deaths, the government in power is clueless about how it can be prevented.
Amazingly, murderers have assumed larger than life status and can perpetrate evil so brazenly without encumbrance from security agents.
Kidnappers and abductors now negotiate with the Federal Government on the ransom to be paid. Security has been compromised such that the middlemen between the Federal Government and abductors also get a handsome chunk from the arrangement.
On several occasions the Federal Government had paid ransom to abductors and kidnappers. The capitulation by FG to pay ransom to abductors and kidnappers has increased the number of criminals in the country. If nothing is done to check the menace, the country will be overrun by criminals.
One illegal business that thrives greatly under the present circumstances is kidnapping. Criminals are paying scant attention to armed robbery because of the nation’s cashless policy.
Regrettably, now security agents flee to safety whenever they hear gunshots of perceived criminals. Many policemen no longer wear their uniforms because of the fear of harm. When security agents go into hiding what will civilians do? In Rivers State, most communities have taken steps to secure lives and property in their own way as result of the inability of the Nigeria Police to maintain law and order.
Nearly all communities in Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada and Etche local government areas of the state have their own security arrangements.
The formation of Security Planning Advisory Committees of the various communities in the aforesaid local government areas underscores the failure of the Federal Government to secure the lives and property of its citizens.
On very many occasions OSPAC had rescued policemen and police stations from the hands of attackers.
Boko Haram, herders, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), unknown gunmen and a plethora of other unidentifiable killer groups scattered across the country have become the undoing of the country.
Kidnappers, abductors and body-part sellers are all over the country, have gained high level of notoriety and turned same as bargaining chips with the government in power.
Unfortunately, a large chunk of the country’s resources is spent on security yet it is the most ailing sector of the economy. While a whopping 14 per- cent of the country’s budget amounting to trillions of naira, goes to security, there is nothing to show for it.
Again, state governors take billions of Naira monthly as security vote while insecurity has continued to kick us in the face. This is largely because the so called security vote is unaccounted for, so the state chief executive can afford to use same to solve their personal needs.
Yet still government’s inability to protect the security of lives and property of its citizens has become more worrisome especially because the most fundamental function of government is the maintenance of law and order. The biblical question,” if the foundation be broken what will the righteous do”, becomes more succinct and apt in the present circumstances.
Experts believe that the open admission by President Muhammadu Buhari that government has lost control of the security situation is indicative of the hopelessness that has become the lot of Nigerians.
Only recently a report originating from the United States of America indicated that Nigeria had reached a point of no return.
The aloofness of the Federal Government and the component states in the face of festering security situation leaves much to be desired. The preponderance of separatist agitations in the wake of insecurity and lack of cohesion may further worsen the state of the nation.
As it stands now, this nation has failed as all indices of a failed state are manifest. According the research carried out by US-based Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Harvard Kennedy School’s programme on interstate conflict, Nigeria is on the final stage of collapse.
The finding of the research enables the Federal Government to seek solution to the twin problem of insecurity and poverty.
Today it is no longer news that many families in the country cannot have three square meals, yet Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources.
The truth of the matter is that the leadership of the country has failed both at federal and state levels. The claim by the Federal Government that it is fighting corruption in the face of primitive accumulation of wealth by state governors and political office holders nationwide is only a figment of imagination.
The large scale external borrowing is a serious indictment of the Federal Government’s ineptitude and blatant testimonial of lack of vision. Today some families cannot have two meals a day.
On the one hand, the Federal Government’s ban on importation of certain commodities is either sabotaged or has not been able to make the expected impact as one still finds balance of payment deficit.
The export promotion of the Federal Government has been abysmal as oil continues to be the main foreign exchange earner in the country, in spite of dwindling fortunes of the sector. There is no deliberate plan by the Federal Government to diversify the economy.
Poverty will continue to be a menace so long as the entire country continues to depend on crude oil revenue. Insecurity and poverty are good bedfellows; where there is one, there is the other.
Consequently, the better way to fight insecurity is to fight those things that make room for criminal disposition.
By: Chidi Enyie
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned against the practice of scooping fuel from accidented tankers, noting it has led to the loss of many lives and property.
The agency’s Head of Operations in Ibadan, Mr Kadiri Olanrewaju, cautioned during a sensitisation programme on tanker fire accidents, held on Wednesday at Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA) of Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was held in collaboration with the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) in Akinyele LGA and other stakeholders.
Olanrewaju said Akinyele LGA was selected for the awareness campaign because of its strategic location as a trailer route from the northern to the southern part of the country.
“These agencies felt that it was necessary to bring this important message to critical stakeholders in communities under the Akinyele LGA, where we have major trailer parks.
“The campaign kick-started in Ogun; we will soon move to Osun.
“The focus is to drive strong sensitisation against the scooping of fuel at the grassroots level, especially for local governments along the trailer routes to reduce needless loss of lives and property,” he said.
He charged the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies to enforce the laws against underage driving and ensure the proper certification and retraining of drivers.
The Administrative Secretary of OYSEMA, Mrs Ojuolape Busari, said that Community Development Associations (CDAs) were involved in the campaign to reach a larger number of people.
Busari noted that people still scoop fuel from accidented tankers because there had not been any serious punishment attached to the offence.
She, therefore, called for stiff penalties for anyone caught perpetrating the act.
“Apart from the risk of fire outbreak that may occur during the practice, it is stealing, which is a serious offence,” she said.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of Akinyele LGA, Hon. Akinwole Akinyele, suggested that fuel transportation should be handled through the rail system, while leaving tankers for intra-city fuel transportation.
The chairman called for an urgent review of laws and policies related to fire services and road safety to meet the urgent and modern demands.
He said that the implementation of stricter fuel transportation regulations, vehicle maintenance, drivers’ training and retraining, and safer fuel handling practices remained crucial to the fuel distribution system in Nigeria.
“The attendant costs of tanker fire accidents have been huge, both in terms of the high number of fatalities and the loss or destruction of property, environmental damage, and public infrastructure,” he said.
NAN reports that the event featured technical sessions, lectures, and presentations from the FRSC, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Fire Service, traditional and market leaders, among others.
…To Confer National Honours On Select Lawmakers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will deliver a presidential address before a joint session of the National Assembly today as part of events marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebration.
The event is scheduled to be held in the House of Representatives chamber of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
This was confirmed in a statement released on Sunday by the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Akin Rotimi.
The statement referenced an internal memorandum issued by the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Danzaria, officially notifying lawmakers of the proceedings.
According to the memorandum, the special joint sitting will begin at 11:00 a.m. with preliminary activities before the arrival of President Tinubu, who is expected at noon.
Democracy Day is observed annually on June 12 in remembrance of the 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s most credible poll since independence.
The election was won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola but was annulled by the military government led by General Ibrahim Babangida (retd).
The theme for the 2025 celebration is “26 Years of Democracy: Renewing Our Commitment to National Development.”
President Tinubu is attending the event as the Special Guest of Honour and is expected to use the platform to reflect on the state of Nigeria’s democracy and present his administration’s vision for the future.
The session will also feature goodwill messages from former presiding officers of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the President will confer national honours on select legislators in what organisers describe as part of efforts to recognise contributions to democratic governance.
The National Assembly views the event as an important marker of Nigeria’s political evolution.“This joint sitting represents a significant moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey,” the statement read.
“It underscores the pivotal role of the National Assembly in safeguarding democratic values, fostering accountability, and advancing national development over the past 26 years of uninterrupted civil rule.”
Lawmakers also used the occasion to urge Nigerians to reflect on the country’s democratic progress and to renew their commitment to national unity and inclusive governance.
“The House of Representatives calls on all Nigerians to embrace the spirit of Democracy Day as a time for reflection, renewed patriotism, and commitment to building a more inclusive, prosperous, and united nation,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has declared today as a public holiday, to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration held every June 12.
June 12 was officially designated as Nigeria’s Democracy Day in 2018, to honour the annulled 1993 presidential election, widely considered the freest and fairest in the nation’s history and won by Chief MKO Abiola.
In a statement announcing the holiday, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated citizens on the occasion of 26 years of uninterrupted democratic rule in the country.
“June 12 represents our historic journey to building a nation where truth and justice reign, and peace is sustained and our future assured,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
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