Still on security challenges

In recent times, Nigeria has been bedevilled by a plethora of security challenges. These challenges include insurgency, terrorism, banditry, that threatened the corporate existence of the country. But rather than analysing the issues as they are, people prefer to exploit them for their political interest. This is very unhealthy to our nationhood, poisonous to our democracy and corrosive to our developmental efforts.

The safety, security and welfare of citizens are the primary responsibility of any government, be it elected or otherwise. But this responsibility is more binding on a democratically elected government which popular support.

But a democratic government in its classic definition is not only the elected individuals and their political appointees; rather, it is a collective role of all the citizens of the nation. Each individual has rights, privileges, responsibilities and obligations in running the affairs of the government.

The leaders can only provide policy framework, personnel as well as sundry paraphernalia of maintaining the safety and security of the country. But the citizens must provide support in form of volunteering useful information of any suspicious person or group of persons in

claims his or her surroundings. They must also support the security agencies in discharging their responsibilities.

This can actually be enhanced by involving the people in the security architecture through the traditional institutions. These institutions have the full knowledge of their area, the people’s culture, tradition and religious beliefs, and therefore know how to talk to them and engage them in securing their communities.

The traditional council knows all the farmers and their farms, all the herdsmen and their hamlets, cattle routes and grazing reserves in their respective territories. Therefore, any person or group’s activities can be monitored while maintaining full surveillance of their movements. The community leaders and their traditional hunters know all the forests, bushes, creeks and other likely places criminals may use as their hideouts.

Thus, according the traditional institutions, specific constitutional roles in governance and security policy framework will surely improve national security, which will further enhance the economic prosperity of the citizens. The security of all is the responsibility for all.

Usman Aliyu Elnafaty, DP 21, Fadamar Jaji Bauchi