The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Security expert

  • Security expert to run for president under GDPN

    •Aspirant pledges to proffer solutions to challenges

    A SECURITY expert, Pastor Davidson Akhimien, has declared his intention to contest for the presidency on the platform of Grassroots Democratic Party of Nigeria (GDPN) to provide solutions to the challenges bedevilling the country and improve on the welfare of the masses.

    Akhimien, who is he National President of the Association of Licenced Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) and managing director of King David Group of Companies, announced his intention at a news conference during the week.

    He said he decided to join the presidential train because of his patriotism after witnessing the country in which he was born and grew up degenerating in the area of maladministration and mismanagement of resources for many years.

    His words: “I decided to contest having seen my country not being able to carry its weight in the international community as a result of the manner governance at the local and national levels has been bastardised; having seen the attitude of the political class in complete disregard for the welfare of the masses of Nigeria. These reasons made me to stick out my neck to contest for the position of the president to bring about a transformation or a rebirth of Nigeria so that it can take its rightful place in the comity of nations and so that the lives of the generality of people will be bettered.”

    He decried the manner the government has left its responsibilities for the citizens to bear.

    Akhimien said: “If you look at what has been happening in our communities over the years, individuals have become government onto themselves. Individuals provide potable water; they dig boreholes in their homes; individuals provide electricity for themselves. Everywhere you go in the country you hear the sounds of generators. Individuals come together to construct roads. Individual also provide security for themselves. But it is the responsibility of government to ensure these amenities and security architecture are made available. Look at the ratio of policemen to the population of Nigerians. About 250,000 policemen to about 180 million population is no bargain; it’s abysmally low. Because of this you find communities establishing vigilance groups to provide security.”

    He also warned the government to tackle the herdsmen and farmers clashes headlong.

    Akhimien said: “With the clashes we have seen between pastoralists and herdsmen, there is no doubt that if something is not done at the level of government in the area of policy formulation that will be agreeable to the two sides, they will continue. But there is a role the security agencies must play. There must be a will on the part of government to attack this problem headlong.”

    The retired intelligence officer said what Gen. T.Y. Danjuma was saying the community vigilance group should be stepped up to complement the security agencies, since “security agents are inadequate because of lack of manpower, equipment and logistics support”.

    “As a general in the Army, I don’t think he will recommend anything that will lead to anarchy,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Security expert hails Dickson  

    Security expert hails Dickson  

    A security expert, and politician, Otunba Idowu Odewale, has hailed Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson for his initiative in combating cultism , kidnapping and others crimes.

    In a statement in Yenagoa, he praised the governor for restoring peace, warning stakeholders against destabilising the state.

    Odewale hailed Dickson on infrastructural development, especially the building of Sagbama-Ekeremor Road, International Airport, Governor’s Office, New State Secretariat, Ecumenical Centre, provision of hostels in schools, building of bridges and roads.

    He warned the opposition against action that could distract the governor from his blueprint agenda and the peaceful atmosphere in the state.

     

  • Security expert seeks coordinated intelligence gathering, sharing at airports

    Security expert seeks coordinated intelligence gathering, sharing at airports

    A security expert has spoken on how  security can be improved at the nation’s airports.

    It is by coordinated intelligence gathering and sharing of security information among stakeholders according to Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), Centurion Securities Ltd Chief Executive and Aviation Round Table (ART) member.

    He said information sharing would help Nigeria to avoid the kind of terror attacks that happened at Brussels Airport few weeks ago.

    Ojikutu said a review of the airports’ security architecture of airports nationwide, has become  necessary, adding that it should be adopted as part of  measures  aimed at responding to aviation threat.

    Enhanced training and deployment of new technologies, he said, would assist aviation security personnel adapt to the new trend securing airports.

    The former Airport Commandant said the lessons from the Brussels Airport incident went beyond airport security, noting that Nigeria must evolve a national aviation security policy that emphasises intelligence in information gathering.

    ‘’The lesson from the Brussels terrorists attack is beyond airport security alone. It is more about national aviation security and the role of intelligence in the aviation security defence layers.

    “It is about intelligence or security agencies sharing names on the watch list with airlines and airports operators; it is about the immigration services sharing passengers names, records with other countries on principle of reciprocity as it is being done between the US and European countries; it is about airlines having a system for advance passengers information services at the departure airport and sharing the information with destination airports. These are intelligence networks,” Ojikutu said, adding: “Secondly, because the airport passenger terminal hall is a public area and therefore a soft target, we now need screening machines at all access gates into the terminal halls with capability for detecting im    provised explosive vapour. “

    He said stakeholders must be  concerned about insider threats and  regularly conduct background checks on  staff members at the airport security  controlled areas. This intelligence work is not necessarily the job for sniffer dogs, he added, stressing that the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) is a good complement to airport security only if it can pre-empt the act of terror attack and not after the attack as it is now playing out in Brussels and had played out in other terror attacks before it in the United States, London, Milan and Paris.

    On requirement for N25 billion to construct perimeter and operational fences at the nation’s 22  airports, Ojikutu said it may be reasonable if the cash is spent well.

    The security expert said”N25billion may just be reasonable for providing perimeter and security fences for the nation’s 22 airports if and only if we seriously identify the difference between the two: International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and  International Air Travel Association (IATA) lay emphasis on security fence (Annex 17) than perimeter fence (Annex 14).”

  • Security expert lauds governors

    A security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has lauded northern political leaders for supporting the war on Boko Haram.

    He said the support of the northern political elite was important to create a synergy in the successful prosecution of the war on terror.

    Ekhomu praised Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima for acknowledging that Boko Haram attacks had reached a “state of war”.

    The security expert, who is president of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), also praised the statement by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Governor Babangida Aliyu, that Boko Haram attacks had gone beyond the traditional pattern of attacks and urged northern leaders to be “frank and refrain from partisanship” in discussing the Boko Haram matter.

    Ekhomu said combating terrorism was not a job for the Federal Government alone, but the responsibility of federal, state and local governments.

    He advised political officer holders to reduce their focus on the privilege of office and instead focus on service delivery.