…Demands a comprehensive plan to combat terrorism
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, has criticized the federal government’s response to the recent multiple terrorist attacks in the country, noting that the global standard is that whenever a government fails in its primary function of protecting lives and property, the said government must resign.
He added that the panic measures, including the closure of schools, showed that the government lacked the capacity to provide security for its citizens.
The PDP cited the increase in kidnappings in different states, especially in the last three weeks, such as the kidnapping of 25 students in Kebbi State and another 315 students and staff in Niger State, northern Nigeria, leaving “a trail of sadness, tears, blood, fear and deep anguish in the families of those affected and their communities.”
However, the party said that instead of developing a comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism, the government had been busy experimenting with quick measures which it said would never address the problem.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. ini Ememobong Essien, speaking on the position of the PDP in Abuja on Sunday, advised the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government to seek urgent relief or resign if it was unable to find solutions to the insecurity.
“We again remind the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the entire APC-led administration that security of lives and property is the primary function of any government.
“At any time, a government is unwilling, unable or unable to play this leading role; such government must ask for help (local or international) or resign honorably, if it is sincere and responsible,” the party demanded.
According to the PDP, the “quick fix” approach such as school closures, apart from becoming counterproductive in the long run, also portrayed the government as completely handing over the country to terrorists.
The party argued that the North, being the most educationally backward country, would only suffer more because the academic calendar would not wait for students who had been forced to stay at home.
The spokesperson further stated: “We are aware that some state governments are already implementing school closures in these areas and this is currently being contemplated by the federal government.
“We warn that this closure, if carried out, like many of this administration’s quick-fix approaches to serious governance problems, will amount to a total surrender to terrorists, whose sole objective is to close schools and prevent children from obtaining formal education, which they declare prohibited. If schools are closed, the terrorists’ objective would have been inadvertently achieved.
“Rather, we urge the government to develop a comprehensive plan to combat the problem, rather than resorting to a simplistic approach of closing schools in a bid to prevent further kidnappings and score cheap political points, something quite characteristic of this administration.
“This alarm is crucial because school closures will certainly exacerbate the already difficult educational situation in northern Nigeria, where, according to UNICEF, the majority of the 18.3 million out-of-school children (10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the secondary level) in Nigeria reside.
“This data not only paints a grim picture but also reflects the exact situation in Nigeria. The series of attacks and kidnappings in different states in one week is indicative of the alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived experience and new reality of Nigerians under the APC-led Bola Tinubu government.”
He described the administration’s response to security incidents as “worrying”, “mediocre” and “unempathic”, and also questioned whether it placed much importance on the lives of Nigerians.
“For example, instead of the President visiting Kebbi and Niger states to meet and sympathize with the parents of children in captivity, and to address security personnel there, he simply ordered the Minister of State for Defense to go to Kebbi.
“A juxtaposition of the contingents sent to the US Congress and the G-20 meeting with Matawalle’s sole envoy highlights the lightness with which the presidency treats this matter. This reaction is very insensitive and disregards the seriousness of the problem on the part of the APC-led Federal Government,” the opposition party added.
The PPD called on the federal government to immediately fund and implement the National Security and Violence-Free Schools Policy “anchored in community intelligence and a rapid security response, capable of anticipating and confronting attacks on schools.”
Insecurity in schools will be a major disincentive to education in the country, especially in northern Nigeria.”
The country’s security challenges have increased amid a recent categorization of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) by the United States and the accusation of genocide targeting Nigerian Christians, amplified by President Donald Trump.
The United States had also offered to intervene by deploying its military might in Nigeria to eliminate terrorists and other armed gangs posing threats to the country’s security.
The federal government reacted by clarifying that Christians were not being specifically targeted, but that Nigeria was facing a complicated security situation that required a more proactive approach than reducing it to a genocide against a particular faith.
Recall that Tinubu sent a delegation led by the National Security Advisor (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to the United States to engage the government and put the complexities of the Nigerian situation on the table for elaborate discussions.
READ ALSO TOP STORIES OF Newslodge