TACKLING THE CURRENT ISSUES ON – INSECURITY, ECONOMY AND CO-EXISTENCE, THE LAUNCHING OF BRAVINS MAGAZINE AT PRESTIGE HOTELS, BENIN CITY ON 24TH APRIL, 2021.

TACKLING THE CURRENT ISSUES ON – INSECURITY, ECONOMY AND CO-EXISTENCE, BEING A PAPER DELIVERED AT THE LAUNCHING OF BRAVINS MAGAZINE AT PRESTIGE HOTELS, BENIN CITY ON 24TH APRIL, 2021.

PROTOCOLS.

Let me congratulate Engr. Pedro Omo Aghahowa, a UNESCO Cultural Ambassador for blazing the trail in his numerous initiatives at promoting the Edo culture and show casing our rich heritage as a people with so much homogeneity.

The choice of today’s topic: Tackling the current issues on insecurity , economy and our co-existence is apt and captures the prevailing socio-economic and political realities of our present Nigeria.
For those that witness the years immediately after Independence and before the Civil War, today’s Nigeria was never contemplated.
After several years of military interruption of civil rule, in 1999, Nigerians entered into social contracts with the new democratically elected leaders with so much expectations
However, politics and other mundane considerations like ethnicity and religion have been militating factors our national development thus resulting in pervasive insecurity and economic under development.
As a result there has been a yawning gap between expectations and realities. This unholy culture overtime has greatly ebbed the initial confidence the people have for their Government. It is sardonic that our Nation has suffered stunted growth over the past years despite the huge Financial accretions from our rich Natural Resources. This is the paradox of our reality as a nation of people suffering in the midst of plenty.
Unfortunately, this has given birth to large-scale insecurity and intolerance amongst the people.
Lately, Nigeria has been enmeshed in a firebox of insecurity with very many avoidable deaths . This insecurity challenge has further plunged the entire Nation into constant regrets and sorrows. Successive Governments have tried everything from Military force to ‘Carrot-and-stick’ approach to Diplomacy but the problem seems to rise with greater monstrosity defiling all the present medication it is getting.
This may not be unconnected with the increasing Ethnic hate, Religious bigotry, Political rivalry and a growing population of disgruntled citizens who feel they have been shortchanged and given very limited or no access to the common patrimony.
Not only has the continued state of insecurity threatened the very fabric of national integration in the country and created the ecology of fear, disquiet and anxiety, it has also meted a deadly blow to Industrial Development.
Over time many recommendations and probable solutions have been suggested by scholars and experts in addressing this national blight.
In this paper, focus is on tackling the challenges of insecurity, poor Economy and lack of Peaceful Coexistence. But first we must identify the nature of insecurity in Nigeria and how it affects the Economy and Coexistence of the people.

INSECURITY IN NIGERIA
Insecurity as it affects a Nation as Nigeria is the presence of internal and external threats detrimental to her sovereignty. Conversely, Insecurity is the antithesis of security. Drawing copiously from the nature of insecurity in Nigeria, the etiologies of Insecurity within Nigeria is twofold : REMOTE and PROXIMATE.
The REMOTE FACTORS include –
*Absence of Institutional Capacity.
*High-level Inequality and disregard for *Fairness and Justice.
*Ethno-Religious Conflicts.
*Sharp disconnect between the People and the Government.
*Poor funded and weak Military.
*Rivalry amongst Security Agencies.
*Selective justice for criminals and perpetrators of violence.
*Weak Legal framework.
*Loss of Socio-cultural and communal value system.

PROXIMATE FACTORS include –
*Porous Borders
*Rural-urban drift
*Rocial irresponsibility by Companies to their host communities which often spark up Social unrest.
*High unemployment and poverty level
*Armed Banditry and Terrorism etc.
Notable amongst the insecurities in present day Nigeria are :
Terrorism by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Armed Banditry in Northern Nigeria
Herdsmen attack and cattle rustling
Kidnapping and abduction
Perennial Electoral Violence.
Armed Robbery.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
*Adequate funding for Security Agencies and proper utilization of the funds in *High-tech training of personnel and acquisition of state of the art weapons and gadgets. More importantly, security agencies should have a cordial interrelation amongst themselves in terms of intelligence gathering and sharing.
The revival and moral values indoctrination at homes, schools, places of worship and at work places not just by parents and teachers alone but by Socio-cultural/religious organizations and every stakeholder in the Nigeria Project.
Good governance and accountability.
Upgrading and building strong legal frameworks.
Sensitization campaigns on Peaceful Coexistence.
The impact of insecurity on our economy is better imagined than described. Prices of essential goods have skyrocketed. Our productive capacity have dwindled with the result that unemployment have become the norm.
Tue value of our currency have plummeted with its potential of drowning further. The economy is shambles on accounts of insecurity. Foreign direct investment into Nigeria have suffered huge setbacks. Businesses are closing down while economic activities are badly affected.

All these put together have led to distrust and mutual suspicion with the result that people are agitating for succession. We have unreservedly displaying hatred towards one another thus affecting negatively national unity and cohesion.

We must as a matter of urgency embrace a total overhaul of our governance and Justice administration machinery with a view to restoring confidence in ourselves.
Now is the time to act, else we become another Sudan and Syria. God forbid.

Thank you very much.

Hon Samson Osagie
Legal Practitioner and Notary Public.
Former Minority Whip House of Representatives.