That Report On Insecurity In Nigeria

The Eleventh Annual Report on Lethal Violence in Nigeria by Nigeria Watch, that violence claimed  13,537  human lives between January 1 and December 31, 2021, though conservative leaves much to be desired. The Nigeria Watch project, according to media reports, is hosted by the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria) at the University of Ibadan’s Institute of African Studies. It is supported by IRD (Institute Derechereche pour le development, Paris), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and British Council’s Programme Managing Conflict in Nigeria (MCN).
According to the report, Borno State accounted for the highest number of fatalities with 1,853, followed by Zamfara State with 1,516  losses, Kaduna 1,342, Niger 935, and Benue 625 while Gombe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Adamawa and Cross River states recorded the lowest. These statistics are not only repugnant to development, they reveal the level of man’s inhumanity to man, and gross disrespect to the sanctity of human lives. Above all, they speak volumes of the ineffectiveness of the present Federal Government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari in discharging its  primary obligation.
The primary duty of government as enshrined in the grand norm ( the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria), is to protect the lives and property of its citizens. Government owes it a duty to ensure that security of lives and property of the citizenry are guaranteed  for,  that is the essence we have government in place. The implication is that when a government fails in this fundamental responsibility, it should cease to exist because it has lost its relevance. The trend, if not checked, can snowball to a major national catastrophe. That is why the National Assembly’s resolve to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari over the alarming and unacceptable state of insecurity in Nigeria, though coming too late, is a bold and welcome initiative.
The resolution which media reports say was supported by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the National Assembly reveals the loss of confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration by Nigerians even by conscientious and dispassionate members of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Insecurity is an ill-wind that does no person any good except the callous and those who feed fat from it. For every moralist and God-fearing person,  the mere mention of violence sends a cold shudder down the spine. It should not be mentioned at all. A coalition of over eighty human rights organisations under the aegis of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast and resign over the spate of incessant insecurity in the country.
The group is convinced that the resignation of the President is the only panacea for the nation’s insecurity. Beyond threats of impeachment which the National Assembly has warmed the president about, they have vowed to remove him from office, if he continued to assault the sensibilities of Nigerians on his mute disposition and complacent attitude towards the insecurity situation in the country. No doubt, the insecurity situation has overwhelmed the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari and to say he is not in control, is to say the least.
As part of their oversight functions, the senators and House of Representatives members should at least for once, show that they are representatives of the people. They are stewards and that they are there by the people, so should rise to defend the people, no matter whose ox is gored. Insecurity knows no party cleavage. It does not know All Progressives Congress or Peoples Democratic Party membership. That is why the impeachment threat on and the advice to President Muhammadu Buhari to resign should transcend party, ethnic and religious sentiments.  The National Assembly should be proactive.
The collective interest of Nigerians should supersede sectional, religious, ethnic interests, if the country will be saved from the quagmire of violence. The National Assembly should not use the precarious security situation that has occasioned the resolve to impeach the President as a smokescreen to add to the wealth they have already acquired. They should resist attempt to break their ranks by the “buy over” syndrome. No amount of money is worth integrity which someone has said is so priceless that it is not found among mean people
Selected or elected,  the National Assembly members should see themselves as representatives of the about 200 million people in the country, therefore should not do what will further dent their credibility. They should remember that responsibility and accountability go hand-in-globe. They are inseparable. Little wonder Daniel Webster said  that the greatest truth that has crossed his mind  is his “accountability to God”. We must collectively fight insecurity and all the elements that make insecurity possible in the country. Security operatives and governments at all levels should recommit to end violence and criminality in their domains.

By: Igbiki Benibo