The House of Representatives candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency, Kwara State North Central, Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Ajia, has advocated new national internal security architecture
Ajia said this on the sidelines of the maiden political debate of the Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) organized for candidates of political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections, with a view to stemming the tide of insecurity in the country
He lamented that the government has continuously devoted huge resources to defence from the nation’s annual budget without commensurate results.
The House of Representatives candidate said countries bordering Nigeria pose no threat to it but only needed to review and strengthen its internal security architecture for optimum performance.
Ajia, who is a security expert, urged the federal government to provide gadgets for the military and personnel responsible for internal security to help combat threats to peaceful coexistence among the citizenry.
He also appealed to the government to retrain the security agents and cater to their welfare to boost their morale.
“One of the things that are very dear to my heart for this country is for us to have a new National internal security architecture. What we have today is not working. If you check our budget year in and year out, the federal government continues to put a high budget on defence, and the reality is, those countries bordering us are not threats to Nigeria.
“But our major problem is internal security. We need to strengthen our internal security. We need to give them (security agents) the gadgets they need. We need to retrain them and take care of their welfare. These are the issues about security. When you do this, just govern with equality. Ensure that the school system is functioning and ensure that there is a source of living for youth when they finish schooling”, he said.
Ajia tasked the government to make the environment conducive for the private sector to thrive and provide employment opportunities for graduates who are being churned out annually.
According to him, it is not just getting employed by the federal government but rather, the government should create an avenue for the private sector to exploit so that they can provide jobs and also guide and serve as support to these teeming youth who are graduating.
Olusola Akintonde
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