The menace of insecurity beguiling the country could be nip in the bud if the recommendations by His Excellency, Amb. Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd), former Chief of Army Staff are put in place at a lecture he delivered at the one day symposium on National security organised by AREWA House, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna on Saturday, June 11th, 2022.
Themed, Politics and Insecurity in Nigeria: Way Forward, Buratai who is the guest speaker proffered kinetic and non-kinetic measures which are fundamental to totally eradicating insecurity in our society.
As the Guest Speaker at the prestigious Arewa Lectures which Buratai confirmed his position as a credible spokesperson on politics and security issues in Nigeria. This is not unconnected to his experience as a veteran in the army after over two decades of services and most recently his sojourn in politics recently at the APC primaries where his principal, Rotimi Amaechi came second.
In his objective report, he highlighted Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 and the challenge of insecurity facing us as insurgency and terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, farmers and herdsmen clashes and agitation for succession.
Buratai reiterated his stance that National security is a collective responsibility and various state institutions have different roles in combating the menace of insecurity challenges in the country expecially the role of governments at all levels, the judiciary, the AFN,the Nigerian police and the intelligence organisation.
Thus, in charting the way forward, he stated that for a safe and secured Nigeria , focus should be geared more towards non-kinetic measures that would aim at addressing the underlying root causes of the insecurity rather than treating the symptoms.
” in charting the way forward, it is imperative to adopt a whole of society approach in confronting insecurities in the country. Focus should be geared more towards non-kinetic measures that would aim at addressing the underlying root causes of the insecurity rather than treating the symptoms. It is also pertinent to note that Kinetic means are employed to create conditions for negotiations, mediations and dialogue. Accordingly, some of the ways that could be adopted to contain the challenge of insecurity Include adoption of a comprehensive and integrated approach and sustaining the ongoing judicial reforms. Others include the reiteration of DICON, sustaining the ongoing reforms of the NP and procurement of modern platforms and systems for intelligence gathering”.
Finally, Buratai buttressed the fact that adoptionof a comprehensive and integrated approach would entail MDAs and the entire society playing key roles in tackling the country’s security challenges. According to him, it will entail the involvement of critical stakeholders from different sectors of the society, such as religious leaders, youths, teachers, women, civil society, traditional rulers, media, law enforcement as well as the security and intelligence agencies.
He noted that currently, most of the citizenry consider security challenges as the sole responsibility of the police and security forces. However, the possibility of the military or the police being ubiquitous is not possible. Thus, there is the need for the public to be constantly sensitised and enlightened on their roles as stakeholders in the security architecture of the country.
The lecture delivered by Buratai was part of the Arewa house lecture series, 2022, and some of the dignatires who were ably represented by His Excellency, Mallam Nasiru El Rufai, the executive governor of Kaduna stare, His Excellency Prof. Babagana Zulum, the executive governor of Borno state, His Eminence Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and other notable Nigerians like Sheik Gumi.
