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Insecurity: Nigeria Needs Leaders To Coordinate All Hands -Obasanjo
As Nigeria confronts serious security challenges, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said there was the need for all hands to be on deck aside from having a leader who can provide the needed leadership to coordinate the efforts.
He spoke, yesterday, while responding to questions from newsmen after paying Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde a courtesy call in his office in Ibadan.
The former president, who was in the Governor’s Office to pay a belated condolence visit on the governor on the demise of his mother, while in the state to attend a book launch in honour of late political leader, Lamidi Adedibu, said the most important aspect of dealing with the challenges facing the country was leadership, adding that the myriads of challenges in the areas of security, economy and political instability were not really new, only that they have taken a dangerous dimension.
Obasanjo said, “There are many challenges in Nigeria today. There are challenges of security, economy, political stability, among others.
“These challenges are not really new, except that they have taken a different dimension.”
“But human challenges are meant to be solved or overcome by human beings which means that all hands should be on deck.
“I believe that the most important aspect of dealing with all the challenges we have is: one leadership, two, coming together, that is, all hands being on deck.
“We all have to come together. But then, there must be leadership to get everybody to work.”
When asked to comment on the increasing call for the sack of security chiefs as a means of tackling the insecurity issues in the country, Obasanjo noted that: “I did not appoint security chiefs, how can I ask that they be sacked?”
Requested to offer advice to the security chiefs and the President, the Obasanjo said, “If I have a fatherly advice for the security chiefs, I will not give them through the media.”
While speaking earlier during the courtesy call, Governor Seyi Makinde commended Obasanjo for his efforts at national development, highlighting his various steps to transform and improve the state, especially in the areas of agriculture, security, education and health.
Makinde said, “We want to welcome you to Ibadan. We have done quite a bit to follow your footstep because the major areas of focus for the government of Oyo State are in the areas of health, education, agriculture, physical infrastructure and security. And agriculture for us is the only way to take Oyo State from depending on federal allocation.
“And that is why we are fixing roads to rural areas. That is also why we are turning some of the farm settlements into farm estates. There is one very close to your farm along Eruwa to Igbo-Ora road. I am sure in another one year and a half, by God’s grace, when we are commissioning that farm estate, we will come back to you to join us to commission the farm estate.
“After I became the governor-elect, I came to Abeokuta to see you and we spoke a little bit about the Ikere-Gorge Dam. Your first coming as the Military Head of State, the dam was built.
“Unfortunately, from that point till now, we have not been able to realise the potential and objective of that money that was spent there. But the road from Iseyin to Ikere is now to be fixed under the Rural Access Intervention Programme. It is a world bank project.
“So, very soon, you will also see the full realization of value from that Dam. I make a promise to you that we will see to it,” Makinde vowed.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.