The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 governorship election in Kaduna State, Dr. Jonathan Asake on Friday told prospective voters in the state that security would be his number one priority if elected the 23rd governor of the state.
This is just as he says if there is a will, there is a way to solve the problem of insecurity in the State and the country at large.
Asake who also condemned and described the killing of the LP Women Leader in Kaura local government area of the state, Mrs. Victorial Chintex as politically motivated, called on the security agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute her killer(s).
Asake spoke while featuring at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna State Council’s media parley with gubernatorial and national assembly candidates for the unveiling of manifestoes and mandates for the people of the state.
To him, with the political will to address security problems, 60 percent of problems facing the state and the country at large will be a thing of the past.
According to him, ‘security will be our number one agenda when we come on board because security is so important for the life of every citizen as captured in section 14 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Our agenda draws strength directly from that constitutional provision. From my experience both in the private and public sectors, I have an idea of what insecurity could cause.
“Today, many farmlands have been deserted by farmers due to banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms of insecurity. So, if farmers cannot go to the farm, that means there will be food insecurity which will affect our survival as humans.
“Again, many schools have been shut down because of insecurity. Schools like Greenfield University, Joy Schools, Engravers College among others are examples of the unpleasant effect of insecurity.
“Investors have also moved their businesses to more secure states and countries.
“In fact, a lot of people who are privileged to build houses cannot stay there anymore. Some of them are now tenants in their former tenants’ properties”, said.
On how he was going to do it he said, “For example, when I was leading SOKAPU, I have an idea of how kidnappers were demanding for millions, foodstuffs, and Bajaj motorbikes as ransom.
“Sometimes, they tell you the price and even where to buy the motorbikes from and take to them as ransom in the bush.
“Why is it difficult to track down these kidnappers with the advent of technology? The money these people are collecting is not spent in the bush. They find their way into our banks.
“So, when there is a will, there is a way and if we have the will to solve the problem of insecurity in the state and the country, we will be solving 60% of our problem as a people”, he said.