Monday Column By Emmanuel Yawe
royawe@yahoo.com | 08024565402
The Trust newspapers gathered a cream of eggheads on Thursday last week to discuss the topical issues of “2003: politics, economy and security.”
At the top of the eggheads to direct deliberations were such National notables like the former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was Chairman of the occasion, former Vice President Atiku Abukakar and the Sultan Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Saad who attended as the Royal father of the day.
Even as the topic for discussion identified three clear areas for the gathering, the Chairman of the media Trust Limited, Malam Kabiru Yusuf had made it clear in his opening remark that “we are confronted by intractable security challenges and an atmosphere of fear that pervades all parts of the country especially the northern part.
Mr Kabiru’s mere mention of security it would appear triggered and directed all discussions to the vexed topic. General Abubakar warned that Nigeria was at crossroads with Boko Haram in the North East, banditry in the North West, violence in the East, kidnappings and abductions of travelers across many states. He warned that the worsening economic situation in an election year that must be probably managed by all concerned.
He then called on the government to shelf the proposed hike of prices of petroleum products saying it will worsen the condition of millions of Nigerians, mostly young men and women, the demographic group most adversely affected by the country’s sick economy and acute insecurity. As the audience listened in rapt attention, the old general fired on.
“Insecurity in the country is worsened by our economic situation. Unemployment and under employment remain at low levels and over 80% of Nigerians are caught up in needless poverty.” He warned that if the frustrations among the children and women could not be stopped, what we will face in a short while will be worse than EndSars protests.
“These are not doomsday predictions but a warning prediction but a warning to which all stakeholders must take heeds”, General Abubakar stated.
Speaking in a blunt manner, the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad, a retired military officer, said in the military, they were taught that war is too important to be left to soldiers. Now as a civilian he is telling Nigerians that politics and governance are too important to be left to politicians alone.
“Without security you cannot have anything and I think I have some of the points I was noting when the Governor of Borno Umara Zulum was in making his remarks, talking on the importance of security in our lives. I have said it many times before that you cannot do anything without security and you cannot even worship God Almighty the way you want, the way you ought to worship without security. For me without security, you cannot have anything.”
To Audu Ogbeh former Minister of Agriculture and now the Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, democracy cannot work in an atmosphere of economic turbulence. We have now reached the stage where farmers cannot go to their farms and harvest their crops until they pay bandits. No democracy can function successfully on a turbulent economic arrangement.
An expert on rural banditry, and university don at the Usman danfodio University Sokoto Dr Murtala Rufai said banditry is a rural problem which cannot be solved by military action. “The problem of banditry is not really one of military operations. One of the major challenges facing banditry in the rural community today is the epidemic effecting the cattle.
The number of cattle dying today is frightening. It is on the increase. The bandit are what they are because of cattle economy and today they have no access to urban centres, veterinary services are no longer there.. He said the insecurity situation was also destroying the cattle economy pointing out since some the bandits still have some respect for traditional rulers, such traditional rulers could be asked to intervene and help.
He said some of them are tired and willing to stop their criminal acts. The problem is their political bosses with an eye on the 2023 elections. They see the elections as a do or die affair in which the bandit must help them to win. In his words, “some of them (bandits) are sick and tired and willing to stop. But the political class or godfather does not want them to stop.”
When asked to speak, the former Vice president Atiku Abubakar said he had obtained a solemn promise from Kabiru Yusuf when went to invite him for the occasion that a speech will not be required of him. He said he did not want to be ambushed as the organizers were trying to do at the occasion. Briefly however he said that “I have watched the Nigerian civil war and not even that war has rocked the existence of this country as we are witnessing today.”
According to Professor Zulum, the Governor of Borno from where the current insecurity rocking the whole country started, security in Nigeria can only be secured if all hands are on deck to stop the menace. He said the communities and the sub national governments must all join hands to fight insecurity. A state governor for instance must prove that he is on ground ro secure his state, Prof Zulum said,
The dialogue which was advertised to discuss the economy, election and security ended up to the surprise of all discussing security, security and security.
