Former Director General of the Department of Security Service (DSS) Mr Mike Ejiofor and former Director General West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, (WAIFEM), Prof Akpan Ekpo have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to fix the hydra-headed challenges of insecurity if the nation is to experience economic wellbeing and prosperity.
The tuo spoke at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, as members of a panel of discussants at the Third yearly conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
Ejiofor who pointedly urged Buhari to look inwards and resolve the crisis in his aides, adding that never had there being a time when cabals had been so bold and so visible in the running of government than in the present administration, adding that this is heating up the polity.
According to him, there can never be any meaningful economic development in a country bedeviled by insecurity.
The Guest Speaker, Dr Mathew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diaocese had delivered a speech on the theme ‘Economy, Security And National Development: The Way Forward’.
Addressing the paper, Ejiofor pointedly said that “security is not negotiable for any nation that wants its economy to thrive.”
According to him, if there is no security, there can’t be solid foundation for economic growth and development, stressing that nobody will invest in an environment that is not secured.
He lamented that cabals have always been in charge of and usually hijacked successive governments in Nigeria.
In his words, “The truth remains that people hijack leadership in every government because every government has its own cabal but it’s more pronounced in this government.”
Ejiofor noted that kidnapping, banditry and Boko Haram insurgents have aggravated insecurity across Nigeria, contributing to relocation of big businesses out of Nigeria hence, massive loss of jobs.
Proffering the way forward, the former DSS chief advocated good leadership, stressing that leaders must live by example.
He also enjoined the leadership to come up with deliberate polices to eradicate poverty, unemployment, injustice to aid improvement in security situation, adding “It is our collective responsibility to make Nigeria work.”
Ejiofor while congratulating GOCOP for its commitment to sanitising the online space, said the “Greatest challenge in the country is fake news” that must be fought by credible online media practitioners.
Also discussing Bishop Kukah’s presentation, Prof Akpan Ekpo, posited that there can’t be meaningful growth and economic development if there is no security.
He noted that unemployment and underemployment are major causes of insecurity.
While submitting that security issue is a function of leadership and followership, Prof Expo, who was represented by Prof Omotor, charged the government of the day to put things in proper perspective to get the security issue right.