Don tasks FG on tackling insecurity

 

Prof. Olufemi Fatile, a Professor of Public Administration, Lagos State University (LASU), has described insecurity as a worrisome development and urged the Federal Government to tackle it head-on.

Fatile made this known while delivering the 104 Edition of LASU Inaugural Lecture Series at the university’s main campus Ojo, on Tuesday, in Lagos.

The lecture is titled: “Nigeria and The Killer Squad: Corruption, Insecurity And Restructuring Brouhaha- Why These Problems Persist.”

Fatile said the development made some parts of the country unsafe.

“Militia groups in the South, insurgency in the North, kidnapping in the East and South, ritual killings in the East and West, political and non- political calculated assassination across the nation.

“The regional pattern of this phenomenon has given rise to regional security formation in the country to curtail the alarming rate of insecurity.

“This is because insecurity is like a sore in a man which, if not well treated expands gradually to the man’s waist.

“This may have been the main reason that the case of insecurity at present is very difficult

to handle, costing the government a lot of money,” he said.

He also described insecurity as one of the most pressing issues facing the country over the years.

“This scenario has contributed to security challenges that have bedevilled the country since independence, with grave consequences for national cohesion and integration.

“Insecurity, which used to be one of the lowest concerns in the hierarchy of Nigeria’s social problems, has now assumed an alarming proportion.

“The alarming rate of insecurity has increased, the crime rate, banditry and terrorist attacks in different parts of the country, has left unpalatable consequences for sustainable development,” he said.

Fatile who said that there had been calls for the restructuring of the federal status noted that the colonialists laid the foundation of disaffection that had become the order of the day.

“In recent years, there have been calls to restructure the current federal status.

“The political tactics adopted by the colonialists laid the foundation of disaffection and acrimony that has become the order of the day in the present-day Nigeria.

“The practice of federalism in Nigeria, according to Osegbue, Madubueze and Nwokike (2016), can be described as “centralised federalism”.

“This is where a greater percentage of the power in a state is concentrated at the centre, as  a result, the Nigerian federation has been enmeshed in contradictions, paradoxes, controversies and crises,” he said.

He said agitation for political restructuring was not new in the country, saying that agitation had been a recurring decimal which had not been abated since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

“This is largely out of the frustrations of the citizenry. There is still evidence of inequality, injustice and prejudice in the country’s governance.

“The cases of restructuring has been founded on two planks which are ethno-regional self-determination and sub-national development.

“The former is driven by the assumption that cultural and ethnic homogenisation could propel solidarity or cooperation for local development, tapping into patriotism.

“The other argument for devolution, local or regional development, has drawn strength from the examples of localised development in Nigeria’s multi-ethnic regions of the First Republic,” he said.

He added that with all these, insecurity and agitation for restructuring continued to pose a challenge to Nigeria, 64 years after independence.

He, however, said these problems cannot be fully resolved but could be addressed, managed and mitigated.

“This agrees with the views of Kreuter, De Rosa, Howze and Baldwin, that even if it is not possible to totally solve wicked problems, it may still be possible to address them.

“Although many insights concerning the different factors, nature and types of wicked problems remain open, as discussed in this lecture, the impossibility of disentangling the causes and outcomes is like wicked problems.

“In addressing wicked problems, there is a need to identify the factors that stem from the local context and to neutralise them or at least strip them down,” he said.

Fatile called for some deep-rooted beliefs and mental models for the fight against corruption to be more effective.

“There is a need for the inculcation of the right values by the leaders and followers. Without the right values, Nigeria will still wallow in the pit of corruption.

“Solving wicked problems involves having a change in thought and behaviour.

“Government should take resourcing of security forces a priority in order to address major loopholes such as inadequate personnel, capacity challenges, shortage of weapons and  officers’ welfare among others.

“For all these recommendations to be achievable, there must be political and administrative will on the part of the major stakeholders in government,” he said.

Present at the lecture was the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, and other management and staff with students of the university. (NAN)