The Director General of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Major General Garba Wahab rtd has stated that there is a need to be proactive in the measures that are applied in solving security challenges.
General Garba Wahab while presenting a paper titled “Security a Collective Responsibility” at the 44TH Annual General Meeting of the Alumni Association Of The National Institute (AANI) in Abuja said every citizen must embrace the cheer responsibility for the security of the nation.
He highlighted community involvement in addressing security challenges in Nigeria pointing out that the government as an institution is saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding citizens but the government alone cannot do it.
“Talking about collective responsibility in security, you have to go to the grassroots level, the local government and everybody should get involved. The governors should and must allow local civil service to function and perform effectively. If that is done, it becomes easier for us to get to the root of the problem. And you cannot do that without the traditional institutions because they command so much respect within their localities”
On the role of good governance in addressing insecurity in Nigeria, General Wahab said, “Yes, everybody has talked about good governance, but what do I mean in my instance, let everybody be given equal opportunity, and those who are there should use their offices to provide infrastructures, if there are infrastructures it becomes easier to ask people to remain where they are, rather than everybody flocking to the city centers”
Earlier, the National President Alumni Association of the National Institute, Ambassador Emmanuel Okafor, in an address pointed out that Nigeria is currently facing a very difficult time with the twin challenges of insecurity and economic difficulties which have slowed down activities in all sectors of the economy.
He revealed that as part of the AANI’s contribution to restoring normalcy, the Association is partnering with various stakeholders to promote good governance and sustainable development across the country, in line with the overall objective of working towards a better society.
“The AANI partnered with the Center for Transparency and Integrity Watch to host an ‘International Symposium on Countering Organised Crime in Africa: Building Resilient Institutions to Counter Emerging Threats”
Ambassador Emmanuel Okafor stressed that the change of attitude and efforts required to rescue Nigeria from the current security challenges is a collective responsibility that requires broad-based commitment and consistent implementation of comprehensive national development plans.
In a remark, the President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies, Mike Ejiofor, said that his alumni want to partner with AANI in working towards a better and greater nation. He said Nigeria is not lacking in solutions, especially with the array of reputable institutions, hence the topic of security as a Collective Responsibility is apt.
The Executive Director Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Mallam Yakubu Umar said all the practical solutions to the country’s security challenges can be found within the walls of the relevant associations and described AANI as a nexus of excellence.
The Alumni Institute is expected to proffer solutions to national issues with implementation strategies. The Alumni Association of the National Institute is composed of all those who successfully attended the one-year Senior Executive Course (SEC), at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Plateau State and are the foremost think tank in Nigeria, since 1979.
Dominica Nwabufo
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