SIR: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hit the ground running since he was inaugurated. Tinubu has proven he is fully prepared to take tough decisions in the interest of the country. The supersonic speed with which he removed petroleum subsidy, the appointments he made all point to his readiness to launch the country into the pedestal of growth and development. But no nation can develop with ravaging insecurity dogging its territory. While the country has recorded remarkable progress since the restoration of democracy in 1999, the deteriorating insecurity resulting in wanton killings of defenceless Nigerians by non-state actors and other criminals has eroded the gains achieved so far. There is virtual loss of confidence by Nigerians in the inability of successive governments to tame the monster of insecurity bedevilling the country particularly in northern Nigeria. While the immediate past administration was able to contain the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, leaving remnants to attack soft targets, the emergence of banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna states and farmers/ herders clashes has compounded and escalated tension in the region.
Northern Nigeria, the food basket of not only Nigeria but also African countries, has become a shadow of its former self. While the Northeast is struggling with Boko Haram, North-central is battling with farmers/herders crises. The once peaceful Northwest has since turned to the home of banditry. The intractable security challenges in the north have continued to pose threats to food security and educational development. Many rural farmers have deserted their ancestral homes as bandits impose levies, abduct and kill defaulters at will. Schools are frequently being attacked and students kidnapped. The horrible situation has discouraged parents from sending their children or wards to schools. The lamentable figures of school dropouts which is estimated to have hit over 15million children, coupled with activities of rapacious bandits paints gloomy picture of education in the region.
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Indeed, the region has become a killing field. Hardly a day passes without report of gory massacre of people in their villages, farms, markets or even on the roads. Though concerted efforts have been put in place by government to arrest the situation, the situation has defied lasting solution. However, with the new governors in the troubled states, one foresees an end to the lingering insecurity in the region. Already, the Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal Dare, held a close-door meeting with Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, in a bid to tackle the menace of banditry in his state. Also, Kaduna state governor, Malam Uba Sani, in an interview granted to Channels Television, bared his mind on the need to create state police. He emphasised that only state police can address security challenges.
In Benue State, Governor Alias Mba has promised to review the anti-grazing laws implemented by his predecessor, Samuel Ortom. Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, during his inauguration promised to exploit every avenue to confront insecurity in the state.
The governors obviously have a good ideas and passion for the protection of their people from the activities of criminals terrorising their states. What remains is for the affected governors to liaise with federal government to achieve this feat. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should help the state governors through military and other logistics support. For a better policing, the president should invest heavily in intelligence gathering, scale up recruitment of security personnel, re-jig our security architecture and above all, work with neighbouring countries to eliminate the insecurity plaguing Nigeria.
•Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna State.