Former Presidential aspirant in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has urged governments at national and state levels to treat insecurity as a national emergency.
Hayatu-Deen stated this in a statement on Tuesday, following the brutal killing of Major General Abubakar Rabe (rtd) who was abducted by bandits in Katsina State.
The statement read, “The death of Major General Abubakar is the latest in an alarming roll call of losses the Nigerian State has suffered at the hands of these monsters. Twenty seven days have now passed since schoolchildren and their teachers were violently abducted from their classrooms in Oriire, Oyo State. They remain, according to the Oyo State Government, in the forests of Old Oyo National Park.”
Citing attacks in Borno, Kogi, Ibadan, Katsina states, among others, he said these incidents appear to have become daily occurrences across the country.
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According to Hayatu-Deen, terrorism deaths in the country rose by 46 per cent in a single year, saying every one of those numbers is a name, a family, a community whose lives will be permanently altered.
The ADC chieftain, who said he had no interest in scoring political points from the deaths of soldiers or the suffering of children, stressed that the Nigerian Constitution places the responsibility for national security squarely on the President.
He noted that this is a duty that cannot be abdicated, adding that the crisis transcends partisan politics. “This crisis is bigger than any party. It is a fight for the soul of the nation, and it must be fought by all of us, together,” he said.
According to him, “Nigeria’s security crisis is not separate from the economic crisis facing citizens. When young men cannot find work, criminal networks find ready recruits. When the cost of living crushes families, desperation becomes a recruitment poster. Insecurity fuels poverty. Poverty fuels insecurity. To break the cycle, we must attack both at once.”
Hayatu-Deen, however, called on the government at both state and federal level to make social welfare an urgent national priority, not an afterthought.
He stated, “The US-Iran conflict drove energy prices up across the world. Many nations introduced subsidies, business support grants and temporary price controls to help cushion the impact on their citizens. I therefore propose that the government explore and implement viable interventions to help businesses stay open and continue to provide jobs to people.”
He appealed to governments to assist farmers, families crushed by the cost of living and communities living under insecurity
He also commended the House of Representatives for passing the constitutional amendment to establish state police.
He said, “We urge the Senate to move with equal urgency and complete this process. State police are not a silver bullet. No single measure is. But it is a critical step toward restoring the authority of the state in every community, in every region, every day. The drafters of the bill must however address valid concerns about institutional corruption, impunity, and the very real possibility of the hijack of state police forces by political actors who fund them.”
He urged the federal government to embark on an aggressive recruitment drive to strengthen troop numbers, improve remuneration to a level comparable with those in emerging economies and ensure that service, and sacrifice are properly honoured and celebrated.
He also called for enhanced welfare and support for the widows and families of “our men and women in uniform who gave everything, as well as provision of equipment and training that match the threat our troops face on the ground.”
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