By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), said Nigeria is going to face serious food shortages this year if nothing is done to curb the insecurity beclouding the northern part of the country.
The Centre in a statement issued yesterday by Amb. Sani S. Bala, its
Ag. Executive Director, added that the situation if left unchecked will have catastrophic impacts on the reasonable progress made in Mr. President’s program on Agriculture, which is the main occupation of the people in the North.
The statement noted that thousands of people have been displaced and are now refugees in neighbouring towns with no food and shelter. “Many of the big time farmers in the North have been compelled to abandon their farms in fear of being kidnapped or killed by the bandits.
“Savannah Centre acknowledges the efforts being made by the security agencies but is also concerned that the proliferation of acts of banditry and attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents seem to overstretch the Nigerian armed forces. It is the Centre’s candid view that Government should be more responsive to the precarious situation of the people by proactively evolving a more realistic strategy for fighting the challenges posed by the bandits and the insurgents.
“The peaceful demonstrations going on in Katsina and Niger States should be handled with care and all sense of responsibility and should not be allowed to get out of hand. We appeal to the youths who are mounting the demonstrations to ensure that they employ lawful means in expressing their grievances and should not resort to violence.
“They should give the government the chance to respond to their grievances; issuing of ultimatums and threats will only compound the problem the more. The Centre also believes that the agitations should not be wished away but rather, the government should dialogue with the leadership of the demonstrators to douse tension and forge mutual understanding on how to fight the bandits and put an end to their senseless actions.”
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