By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday backed the Western Nigerian Security Outfit codenamed Operation Amotekun, saying that all efforts to address the country’s security challenges must be supported.
President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke during a meeting of Members of the National Adminstrative Council (NAC) on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that community effort was needed to support the security agencies in addressing Nigeria’s depressing security challenges.
He said Civilian Joint Task Force was already in place in the north east, assisting security agencies in fighting terrorisiom and other crimes and criminalities in the region.
The NAC meeting reviewed the insecurity challenges in the country, the request by the Federal Government to borrow N2 trillion from the Pension Fund, casualisation of workers and the implementation of minimum wage in states.
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Speaking on Amotekun he said: “We need community efforts to be able to support the Armed Forces because we know that the number is not enough and they can’t be in every community. So we must also play some role. It is just for those groups (Amotekun) to be organised.
“Even with the current discourse (insecurity), everybody has agreed that there is need for that (Amotekun) but that does not also mean they should operate outside the national structure.
“All efforts must be supported towards addressing the issue of insecurity in our country. Any idea that will address the issue of insecurity in our country is an idea that is worth consideration and I think that has been our position.
“Even the Federal Government have come to agree that (Amotekun) is an idea that is worthy of consideration. What they need is to operate within the confines of what the constitution provides.”
On community policising, he said: “Community participation is very important. We have seen that in the situation in Nigeria non-state actors are playing very, very major roles in the issue of insecurity and therefor I think it is something that if we work it out, it is certainly going to assist.”
He said the removal of the Service Chiefs may not solve the present security challenges.
Wabba said: “I don’t want to be in the politics of whether they (the Service Chiefs) should go or not. What we demand is that the issue (insecurity) must be addressed. If in the process they needed to go that is the decision that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces need to take.
“But one, we want efficiency. We want the issue (insecurity) to be brought to an end because it is a means to addressing the insecurity that is very important and I think I don’t want to be caught in the process of whether they should go or not because you can even bring the same people and they will give you the same result.
“The point is that let us address the fundamental issue of insecurity and the ball ends on the table of Mr. President. If he thinks sacking them will bring solution let him go ahead to do that. But if he thinks he has other means but what will follow and what we demand as Nigerians is that let us address the insecurity issue today in our country. That I think is a very wise decision to do.”
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