Re: AFRICOM, Nigeria’s leadership and American hegemony

Your column on the back page of 30/04/’21’s issue of Daily Trust on the above subject refers, please. Your fears are justified but the danger facing Nigeria is real and extremely urgent and unless some drastic steps are taken.

The reason is that the Nigerian Army has been systematically degraded starting from IBB days through OBJ all in an effort to prevent military coups.

Several things need to be done by the government. 1) The National Assembly should immediately set up a judicial panel of inquiry to retrieve the US11billion allegedly released under the immediate past service chiefs to make available to the current service chiefs and to show them it is no longer business as usual. 2) PMB to declare a state of emergency in Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna States currently the epicentres of kidnapping and banditry and appoint Sole Administrators to stamp out these crimes. 3) Put squarely the responsibility for kidnapping and banditry on the CP and DPO for any incident in the state and LGA respectively where such crimes take place on pain of demotion in the first instance and dismissal for any repeat. This way collaboration between the criminals and rogue security agents would be neutralised. 4) To stamp out conflict of interest, lack of fear of authorities and impunity the three conditions that make corruption thrive, the president and all governors and chairmen of LGAs should publicly declare their assets and those of their families and demand that all those appointed and or elected under their watch do the same or resign.

Sabo Sodangi wrote via saboisodangi@yahoo.com