The Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019 elections, and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has argued that the high level of poverty in Nigeria coupled with failure of leadership, have continued to encourage insecurity in different parts of the country.
Obi, who spoke to journalists recently in Abuja, expressed belief that if the government can sincerely put measures in place to lift Nigerians out of poverty, by supporting small scale businesses and creating jobs for the youth, security challenges in the country will wittle down automatically.
He said people, especially youths, would easily take to crime when they live in poverty, unemployed and do not know where their next meal will come from, but noted that the situation can be turned around with good economic policies that will strengthen the private sector, support business growth and generate employment.
The former Governor also lamented what he described as government’s insincere approach to the fight against terrorism. He explained that the government indirectly encouraged banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other serious security concerns in the country, by having round table meetings with the criminals.
He was of the opinion that when the government begins to call bandits and kidnappers to a meeting, then the end to insecurity is probably not in sight.
The Ex-VP Candidate advocated for establishment of security architecture in all levels of government, down to the community level.
That is the establishment of police force at the community, state, regional and then federal levels, pointing out that this will help attack insecurity at the grassroots and also give different regions the power to combat security threats in their territories.
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