Former President of the Senate, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to put an end to what he described as its knee-jerk approach towards stopping insecurity challenges facing the country.
Rather, the former Chairman of the National Assembly challenged the Central Government to investigate the cause of insecurity and “look deep down and design solutions” needed to tackle the problem.
Senator Wabara made this known on Tuesday while at the Babatunde Oduyoye Annual Birthday 7th Lecture Series 2021, held in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital.
The lecture, themed “Security and National Unity in Difficult Times”, was delivered by the Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Wabara, who was the co-chairman of the event, said the topic of the lecture was not only timely but well thought of, adding: “On a day like this and at a time like this, we cannot but talk about security and national unity.”
The former President of the Senate said the topic is “as basic and important to our today’s polity, just as oxygen, blood and water are to the human body”, adding that he is disturbed by the extent of violence being unleashed on Nigerians.
“Every morning when I have to open the pages of newspapers or read through posts on the social media, my heart cut at the extent of violence being unleashed on citizens of Nigeria.
“There are stories of killings, kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling and herders’/farmers brouhaha from the North-East, North-West and North-Central part of the country.
“The same way, we are bombarded with stories of violence, armed robbery, kidnapping and herdsmen infractions from the South-West, South-East and South-South. It is just like, everywhere you go, there is violence and killings.
“Besides, there have been growing agitations for self-determination from the South-East and South-West in recent years.
“In recent days, the news media was awashed with stories credited to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN, where he threatened that the Federal Government would declare a state of emergency in Anambra State, in view of the wanton killings taking place there.
“Well, my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has promptly reacted and told the Federal Government to back off such thoughts. In the same vein, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Afenifere, PANDEF and other nationality groups have spoken.
“Rather than adopting the knee-jerk approach in tackling the myriads of security problems facing the country currently, the government at the centre needs to look deep down and design solutions.
“I think it is our elders that say when a child falls, he keeps his gaze in front. But when an elder falls, he looks back, to seek out the cause of the fall. That exactly is what Nigeria should be doing right now.
“I am glad that interactions like this will oblige us the ingredients needed to get to the roots of our failures as a nation and the solutions that would lift us beyond the morass.
“It will afford us to signpost the point of departure from the noble ideals that kept Nigeria one beyond the civil war and for 61 years thus far.
“Without justice and equity, it will be difficult to foster national unity. Without justice and equity, we will be driving at the Orwellian kind of society, if not the state of nature, where some animals would be more equal than others.
“We need not debate the fact that such a situation can only lead to relentless agitation, where upheavals reign. A society like ours, in desperate need of development cannot be home to relentless crises as we have witnessed in recent years.,” Wabara said.
The former President of the Senate congratulated Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye on his commitment to the country and for showing leadership by instituting this birthday lecture.
“We must remain very grateful to people like Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye, former Chief Whip of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the House of Representatives, who currently serves as the Special Adviser, Strategy and Political Matters in the cabinet of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
“Once again, I congratulate Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye, simply called Babs, for his commitment to our nation and for showing leadership by instituting this birthday lecture,” he said.
Other distinguished personalities at the event included the Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde; former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and his wife, Alhaja Mutiat Ladoja; Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin; and former Chief of Staff to Oyo State governor, Chief Bisi Ilaka, the Majority Leader of Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin, Dr. Saka Balogun among others.
