By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has called for dialogue among various interest groups, individuals, governments and security agencies on how best to solve Nigeria’s seemingly intractable security challenges, lamenting that the unabated security problems and mass killings of innocent citizens are becoming too worrisome, alarming and getting out of the control of the nation’s security outfits.
The PDP chieftain, who is the Founder and Financier of Kawu Baraje Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Gerewu, made this call in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, while fielding questions from journalists on the occasion of his 69th birthday.
To him, “the most difficult, most concerned and most retrogressive of the problems the country is facing is insecurity” and he therefore urged Nigerians, particularly the youths, to be more security conscious about their environments and report strange people as well as suspicious objects around them to the appropriate authorities.
He said: “I wish to appreciate all Nigerians for their resilience, perseverance at this very difficult times in Nigeria.
“Everybody is now feeling the punches of the difficult times, good governance is really difficult to get these days. I therefore wish to say that the most difficult and most depressing of the entire situation is the insecurity in the country.
“I want to also enjoin Nigerians to go back to their culture, the culture of working together with our neighbours in ensuring that our environment is safe as this is the period that we must be at alert, live up to our responsibilities and be our brother’s keeper.
“As people analyse issues now in the social media, write ups, opinions, the conventional media and even the notorious video messages, they must put on their thinking caps and sheave the corn from the shaft, truth from lies before they jump into conclusions, particularly in their perceptions and beliefs in good governance.”
On the establishment of Amotekun by the South West governors, Baraje described the security arrangement as appropriate more so that it would complement the efforts of security agencies, explaining that similar outfits have been in operations in other regions. He, however, called for dialogue over their mode of operations and resolve the grey areas with the Federal Government.
Alhaji Baraje lamented that the security apparatuses of Nigeria have failed and collapsed, claiming that the centre could no longer hold as there seems to be no control whatsoever anymore.
He charged the legislatures that he described as the eyes, the brain and the conscience of the people to insist on good governance, while the judiciary should also deliver justice to the masses. He called for decentralisation of the authorities and the institutions of the state so as to make them more effective and efficient.
Speaking on the 2023 general elections in the country, the PDP chieftain said the party is intact and preparing for the elections and urged PDP leaders and supporters to remain focused and more united more so that the electorate have now realised the difference between the present APC administration and that of the PDP.
Commenting on the committee set up to resolve the issue of Ilearugbo, he said the idea is a welcome development stressing that Ilorin Emirate is known for peace and peaceful coexistence among families and individuals.
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