By Joseph Edegbo :
The Chairman, North Central Peoples’ Forum, Chief Gabriel Yakubu Aduku says no effort should be spared in bringing under control, the spate of general insecurity afflicting most parts of the country.
This is just as he traced the root causes of the insecurity to include, social inequality, state failure, unemployment, export of primary commodities, over dependence on oil, human right violations, resource predation, corruption, feeling of marginalization and alienation as well as weak judicial system and porous border.
Chief Aduku was speaking at the 19th Edition of the Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme, “The Politics, Economy and Insecurity” held recently in Abuja.
According to Chief Aduku, actions or inactions of the government in the forms of policies and programs, are anchors on which the economy and security of all nations hinge.
Painfully, he noted, Nigeria has witnessed a monumental level of insecurity after many years of unceasing onslaughts on its citizens.
“Lives are lost on a daily basis, population depleted, businesses in comatose, investments are nose-diving, multinationals closing shops and vacating the country, unemployment soaring and the populace in fears. Clearly, it poses a threat to governance and economic growth,” he emphasized.
On politics, Chief Aduku lamented that there was hardly any election conducted in Nigeria where lives were not lost as a result of high stakes in the country’s politics where the winner takes all.
He notes that heinous crimes are sometimes perpetrated in connivance with some bad elements in the State security agencies, especially the politicians who are members of the ruling political party at that material time.
HEREUNDER IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE PRESENTATION ;
CHAIRMAN NORTH CENTRAL PEOPLES’ FORUM, ARC. (CHIEF) GABRIEL YAKUBU, ADUKU, OON, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 19TH EDITION OF THE DAILY TRUST DIALOGUE, ON THE 19TH JANUARY, 2022, THEME: THE POLITICS, ECONOMY AND INSECURITY
It would amount to ingratitude not to mention the tireless and invaluable contributions of the Daily Trust Newspapers and its subsidiaries to ensuring a one-big, united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria using interactive avenues of this nature.
This year’s Daily Trust Dialogue, the 19th edition with the theme: The Politics, Economy and Insecurity, as ever, has again availed stakeholders and all Nigerians alike a generous occasion to engage in this topical national discourse as we all continue to pull all efforts together in search of sustainable solutions to many of our intractable national question.
Only a fortnight ago, a young man called Mr Ojonimi Ossai who was a staff of Chevron Texaco in Port Harcourt attended his father-in-law’s burial at Ogbogodo village, Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi State where I come from. On his way from the burial, he was tracked down and kidnapped shortly before the Itobe-Ajaokuta Bridge. Even with the ransom of N5Million promptly paid, those blood-sucking sons of Lucifer still gruesomely murdered him. Not up to a week later, another young man, Master Okpanachi was also kidnapped and in similar ungodly trend, after his relations had sold almost all they had to pay the ransom of N2Million, he was yet again killed. Do I also mention the mass killing of over a hundred persons in Zamfara State just a couple of weeks ago? These are only a few among hundreds of pathetic situations Nigeria has found herself.
Painfully, Nigeria has witnessed a monumental level of insecurity after many years of unceasing onslaughts on its citizens. Lives are lost on a daily basis, population depleted, businesses in comatose, investments are nose-diving, multinationals closing shops and vacating the country, unemployment soaring and the populace in fears. Clearly, it poses a threat to governance and economic growth.
A number of reasons have been adduced for insecurity in Nigeria, including but not limited to social inequality, state failure, unemployment, export of primary commodities, over dependence on oil, human right violations, resource predation, corruption, feeling of marginalization and alienation, weak judicial system, porous border, etc. Policy to tackle insecurity therefore must first address these root causes in order to be successful.
INSECURITY AND ECONOMY
As it is obtainable in all social systems, there is an undeviating relationship between politics, economy and insecurity. Actions or inactions of the government in the forms of policies and programs are anchors on which the economy and security of all nations hinge.
It is an undisputable fact that the economic costs of insecurity are enormous. People who join the fighting forces, who are killed or flee, can no longer work productively; schools, power stations, and roads that are destroyed reduce the productive capacity of the economy. Furthermore, displacement of people reduces the production of export commodities thereby reducing foreign exchange earnings, import potentials and consequently further constraining output, leading to a decline in employment and earnings.
Thus, it can be observed that almost all the areas were insecurity are prone in Nigeria, economic activities have collapsed. For instance, in the North East of Nigeria where Boko Haram has held sway, the area has been deserted, businesses including informal sector have been terribly affected, unemployment have soared, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and camps have suddenly emerged, State internally generated revenue have plummeted etc.
Similarly, in the Niger Delta area where militant’s attacks on oil installations and pipeline vandalization are persistent, a number of Multi-national Corporations have closed down or relocated their offices from the area. Unemployment has skyrocketed; foreign exchange dropped and the costs of doing business in the area have increased as well.
The effect of Insecurity on economic growth is certainly usually negative. Economic growth is always affected, sectors like agriculture and exports production, all fall flat. There is always a shift from international to domestic markets, imports goes up and dominated by military expenditure and essential consumption goods, usually leading to a shortage of foreign exchange for economic inputs, consumption per head falls drastically, government revenue as a share of GDP mostly goes down as well; foreign and private investments including government investment is also usually badly affected.
In summary, the economic impact of insecurity revolves around disruption of economic activities; decimation of consumer and investors confidence in the economy; decrease in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); disproportionate defense spending vis-à -vis other economic sectors; the struggle for personal survival would undermine innovation and creativity; increase in brain drain; perverse incentives, in the sense that lots of people in high places who financially benefit from the insecurity would not let it end; decline in productivity; possible national isolation as no tourists would want to visit an unsafe country; deepening corruption at all levels in the sense the chaos and uncertainties created by insecurity can provide a breeding ground for corruption.
A stable, strong and dynamic economy fosters long-term national security, whereas insecurity is a hindrance to long-term economic prosperity. Therefore, efforts should not be speared in bringing under control the spate of general insecurity that currently afflicts most parts of the country.
INSECURITY AND POLITICS
There is hardly any election conducted in Nigeria where lives are not lost. This is as a result of high stakes in Nigeria politics where the winner takes all.
Any period that falls within the electioneering circles in Nigeria, whether pre, during or post elections, they are usually laden with violent attacks. Unfortunately, violence has been a potent tool in the hands of desperate politicians who would stop at nothing to win elections.
During political campaigns, in a bid to outwit one another, politician engage in recruitment of political thugs whom the massively arm to the tooth in order to intimidate, oppress and in a worst case scenario, annihilate any individual or group who poses a threat to their inordinate political ambition.
Surprisingly, these heinous crimes are sometimes perpetrated in connivance with some bad members of the State security agencies especially the politicians who are members of the ruling political party at that material time.
Regrettably, once the election times are over and winners and losers have emerged, the weapons with which these thugs were able to procure the unpopular victory for the winners of the elections are never retrieved. And to further aggravate the matter, these political thugs are usually never relevant in the scheme of official activities of the supposedly victorious politician as the majority of them are largely uneducated. Therefore, after the elections, they become entirely irrelevant to the politician who would abandon them. But to keep sustaining the level of extravagant lifestyle during the time when the politician was still using them for his own sinister motive, they take to other anti-social practices like kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, ritual killing, terrorism and a host of other.
That not enough, some unpopular politicians hide under the guise of religion and ethnicity to cause social disruption by the time they smell an imminent failure during electioneering campaigns. They usually start by instigating the people against themselves using the tools of illiteracy and ignorance which are usually attractive to the gullible members of the society.
Moreover, political injustice in the form of marginalization whether in political appointments or resources allocation creates unnecessary disharmony among the citizens leading to threats to peaceful living.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO INSECURITY IN NIGERIA
To win the war against insecurity in Nigeria, the following have to be in place: focus must be on human and infrastructure development; attention should also be given to quality leadership development; the Federal Government must face the immediate challenge of boundary porosity; good governance too is, no doubt, a panacea to insecurity; economic development keeps youths engaged in productive activities thereby turning away from crimes; elimination of Corruption is also key to fighting insecurity; building a proactive law enforcement agency; proper security training and equipment; right education; improvement of the criminal justice system and many more.
CONCLUSION
From the foregoing, it is clear that any effort to foster peace and security and that will bring sustainable economic development to Nigerian would yield no meaningful results if the issue of insecurity is not appropriately addressed.
God bless Nigeria!
