Don calls for regionalisation of Nigeria’s security agencies
A Professor of Political Science at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Aloysius-Michael Okolie, Saturday, called for the regionalisation of Nigeria’s security system.
Speaking as the guest lecturer at the third Zik’s Leadership Lecture Series/Luncheon organised by the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Unizik, Mr. Okolie said that Nigeria was already threatened by insecurity prior to the advent of Boko Haram; but it has been heightened by the terrorist group.
Mr. Okolie, whose presentation was titled, “Politics of Securitisation and Securitisation of Politics in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Experience,” explained that Boko Haram started as a political outfit but threw off the control of their political patrons.
Mr. Okolie noted that the sect mostly carried out their activities in states controlled by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and blamed the governors and elders of those states for failing to reveal the criminals among them to the security agencies.
According to him, every community knows the bad eggs among them and those states could not deny such.
On the other hand, he noted that there was nothing different between the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the APC was yet to offer anything different from what the PDP was offering Nigerians.
The professor also said he wondered why the president refused to declare a full state of emergency in the affected states as doing so would definitely amount to the “securitisation of politics.”
Mr. Okolie said that Boko Haram was not the only security threat to Nigeria, listing favouritism and the abuse of due process as other threats the country’s social and economic security.
Using the academic environment as an example, the university don said that 70 per cent of professors were undeserving of their positions. According to him, those that have the knowledge are often seen as security threats and denied promotions to professorship to the advantage of unqualified persons. He described the sort of occurrences as a threat to social and educational security and the reason why political scientists reject Nigerian political appointments.
“Political Scientists don’t go into Nigerian politics because they can easily see today and tomorrow. They know that touts within the government can’t tolerate them and that they will be definitely sacked because they cannot accept to be unnecessarily controlled or influenced by anybody,” he said.
Rejecting the Biafran movement, Mr. Okolie said that Igbos should be ready to face major crises if Biafra secedes because the Igbos are too selfish and greedy.
He pointed out that the Igbos fail to utilise little opportunities given to them by the government to benefit themselves and wondered how they could then manage themselves if given Biafra.
Using the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as an example, Mr. Okolie alleged that various promotions were denied to those that merited them until a Hausa man became the sole administrator of the institution.
The don concluded by urging the federal government to encourage regionalisation of the nation’s security in such a way that security recruits of various regions must be indigenes of their various areas of assignment. According to him, indigenes would be in a better position to locate and destroy bad eggs in their communities.
In his address, the Head of Political Science Department of Unizik, Makodi Biereenu-Nnabugwu, disclosed that the lecture was highly necessary considering the current insecurity in the country. He promised that the department would sustain the annual lecture.
The president of the National Association of Political Science Students, NAPSS, Unizik chapter, Emeka Omaliko, expressed his satisfaction with the successful organisation of the event and thanked the head of the department for his support.
Other highlights of the event included musical performances and the presentation of awards to some personalities. The awards recipients included Ebele Ejiofor, Effective Representation Award; Silas Ejeabocha, Outstanding Leadership Excellence Award; and Ignatius Ngini, Selfless Leadership Service Award.
In their remarks, the award recipients thanked the Unizik Political Science Department for the honour and pledged to put in more efforts.
Mr. Ejiofor, who is a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, described the award as an encouragement to serve his constituency better. Mr. Ejeabocha, the speaker of Anaocha Local Council, expressing joy over the award, called on politicians to be leaders of thought. Mr. Ngini, the immediate past president of NAPSS, Unizik chapter, said that he served NAPSS with deep sense of humility and statesmanship. He described the challenges he encountered as the association’s president as instruments of shaping his idea of leadership for a better tomorrow and thanked the department for the honour.
The event which took place at Whyte View Hotel, Ifite Awka, was witnessed by students, academics, public servants and the press.
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