Buhari Insists FG Winning War Against Insurgents, Bandits, Kidnappers
Ranked 148 out of 163 least peaceful countries
Francis Sardauna
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday reiterated that his administration was winning the war on banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country. Echoing his maiden June 12 Democracy Day address, Buhari assured that ending the carnage in the North-west and other parts of the country remained a cardinal objective of his administration. He spoke in Katsina at the fourth convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA).
The president explained that the federal government was poised to create an enabling environment for lawful citizens to go about their legitimate businesses.
Represented by the former Deputy Governor of Kano State, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, Buhari said, “I want to assure the people of Katsina State and, indeed, all other states of the federation that the climate of fear being orchestrated by the bandits, kidnappers and insurgents would soon come to an end.”
While admitting that the war against bandits and kidnappers involved covert operations that were not open to the public, the president urged Nigerians to work together to sustain peace in the country.
“We have no other country we can call ours, but Nigeria. We must stay here and salvage it together,” he stated.
Buhari challenged the managements of Nigerian universities to conduct
Nigeria is one of the least peaceful places on earth, says 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI) report, despite claims by the All Progressives Congressled government of President Muhammadu Buhari that the country is better than they met in 2015.
The country, battling with banditry, economic stagnation, insurgency, kidnapping and an increasing rate of suicides, is ranked 148 out of 163 countries in the world.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria sits among the top five least peaceful countries in the region alongside, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia, and South Sudan.
The GPI measures peacefulness across three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarization. It pointed out that while the world has become less peaceful over the last decade, there have been some notable improvements in peace.
The GPI also analyzed the potential long-term impact of climate change on levels of peacefulness. An estimated 971 million people live in areas with high or very high exposure to climate hazards.
Of this number, 400 million or 41 percent, reside in countries with already low levels of peacefulness. Climate change can indirectly increase the likelihood of violent conflict through its impacts on resource availability, livelihood security, and migration.
Eight of the 25 least peaceful countries have ten percent or more of their population in high climate hazard areas, amounting to 103.7 million people at risk. These countries are South Sudan, Iraq, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, North Korea, Nigeria, and Mexico.
Yet, the report recorded some cheering news for the so-called African giant, saying Nigeria’s improvement was based on a reduction in deaths from internal conflict.
The report said, “Safety and security was sub-Saharan Africa’s least peaceful domain and recorded the largest deterioration last year. While 18 countries improved, 24 deteriorated.
“The likelihood of violent demonstrations deteriorated most significantly, followed by the impact of terrorism. The incarceration rate rose on average last year, as did the homicide rate and perceptions of criminality.
However, the report stated that in a place like Nigeria, “experiences of sadness, stress, and worry are on the rise regardless of peace levels”.
It added: “In the past decade, 77 countries experienced increased sadness whilst only 20 decreased in experiences of sadness. Of those that increased in sadness, 44 had a corresponding deterioration in peace level.
“Of those that decreased in sadness, 60 percent recorded a corresponding increase in peacefulness. Less than half of the countries that improved in stress and worry levels had corresponding improvements in their GPI scores.”
The report noted that the world is considerably less peaceful now than it was in 2008, with the average level of country peacefulness deteriorating by 3.78 percent over the last decade.