Don Decries Insecurity In Nigeria

A Professor of Drama and Theatre Arts, University of Port Harcourt, Leopold Bellgam, has expressed dismay over the growing insecurity in the country, noting that Nigerians were currently not safe and the dividends of good governance under President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership continues to fail to live up to its primary responsibility of safeguarding the lives and properties of the citizens.
Speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt on Monday during an interview, Bellgam said present bad governance in the country was epitomized by the indifference with which the nation’s leaders at the federal level treated alarming insecurity and unemployment, where they rather engaged in trite political discussions and kept Nigerians in suspense and ignorance.
He decried increasing loss of faith and trust in the promise of good governance owing to poor security management in the country by the Buhari government evident in kidnapping, terrorism, inter-religious and ethnic uprising, herdsmen invasion of farmlands.
He pointed out at the porous borders and increasing rate of cybercrime among the youths as issues that continue to threaten the security of Nigerians, and noted that it should regain its credibility as a government committed to good governance. Bellgam said it was imperative for the Buhari government to train security officials to be effective to attend to security and provde them with sophisticated and modern security weapons, allow state police force, and ensure adequate measures to secure the borders.
According to him, “If you go to the philosophy around the country and around the responsibility of government, the first fundamental responsibility of government of a state is to ensure law and order”.
He averred: “Security is the first and most critical job of governance. If a government cannot promise you security, it cannot assure of any safety. Today that assurance of security has been considerably threatened such that for you to go to Abuja, you have to fast for a period of 30 days before you embark on such trip”.
In his words, “Also, you see people carry AK47 rifles around, the issue of governance, the South-South, at the moment, has been shouting that they don’t want colonization; they don’t want Ruga, they don’t want Fulani herdsmen over-running their farmlands”.
He added that the critical test of this government would be the management of security and we cannot but use occasions and lectures to say that without providing security then disappointment thrives.

Bethel Toby & Shalom Ankrah