A former presidential candidate and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has saluted the courage of men and women of Nigeria’s Armed Forces as well as other security personnel who have continued to make huge sacrifices in the fight against terror and keeping the country safe.
In a statement at the weekend by his media office in Abuja, Olawepo-Hashim noted that for the sacrifices not to be in vain, the nation should build a new defence and security architecture to permanently destroy the seed of terror and uproot banditry/kidnapping across the country.
He urged the Federal Government to take note of Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum’s warning that Nigeria’s existence is threatened by the growing number of Islamic State of West African Provincce (ISWAP) fighters in some parts of the state.
The business mogul warned that allowing the terrorist group to grow would spell doom for the country.
“With all manner of armed groups within two-hour drive to Abuja (the nation’s seat of power), from Niger and Kaduna, no one should downplay this threat,” he warned.
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Zulum’s warning came a day after the Federal Government said it uncovered 96 financiers of Boko Haram and ISWAP.
The government also said at least 123 companies and 33 bureaux de change were linked to the terrorists.
Olawepo-Hashim noted that Zulum’s warning was timely and that the war in the Northeast and the insurgency in the Northwest required a new defence and security template and perspective.
According to him, if between 2015 and now the government has allocated approximately N5.081 trillion to defence, including the appropriation of N4.669 trillion to the Federal Ministry of Defence from 2016 till date and spent $1 billion on military equipment, the template on the fight on terror requires political responses that must tackle the underlining causes of the threats.
The root causes of insecurity, Olawepo-Hashim argued, are rising poverty, illiteracy, bigotry, and hate, adding that Nigeria would be able to rise again once the nation commits to tackle the causative factors of insecurity, even as the nation rejigs the security architecture and structure of governance.
He advised political leaders to unite “in order to agree on a workable agenda to stabilise our bleeding nation”.
Olawepo-Hashim recommended the establishment of a Defence Co-operation Agreement (DCA) with a friendly nation to halt the enemy’s advance, especially the nation’s friends who have triumphed over such threats before.
“Those who are fighting Nigeria are from all over the world, the enemy is multinational in its composition,” he said.
The APC chieftain also suggested the creation of a framework for states and local governments to have their police.
“Terrorism and other threats from non-state actors constitute a new war which modern standing armies are not too familiar with in their training modules and general operational orders.
“The way and manner by which the forces of Taliban swept through Kabul unchallenged in Afghanistan is too fresh in our minds to make anyone go to bed with two eyes closed,” Olawepo-Hashim added.