Arise TV Debate: Sowore, Adebayo, Umeadi, Sani Profer Solutions To Insecurity, Corruption, Says Tackling Banditry Not Rocket Science

The presidential candidates of four political parties have yesterday proffered solutions to the insecurity ravaging the length and breadth of the country, among other issues that need urgent attention.

According to some of them, intelligence agencies in the country were not doing enough in the area of intelligence gathering to tackle issues of insecurity in the country.

Naija News learnt that the candidates at the second series of the town hall debate organised by Arise Tv in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and various media organizations, stated various ways to handle the issue of insecurity, corruption and other areas in the country if elected president next year.

The presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, said if elected as president next year, he will tackle banditry by putting intelligent people at the forefront of security agencies.

Sowore accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of not doing enough to handle security in the country, noting that fighting banditry and insurgency was not rocket science if intelligent people were in charge of the security agencies.

He said, “I was detained by the DSS for five months. They were there watching BBNaija (reality tv show) instead of collating intelligence, analysing and using that to stop terrorists and bandits. We don’t have a commander-in-chief of the armed forces as of today. What we have is an arranged system of security in which everybody is doing what he likes. That’s one aspect of it.”

On his own part, the presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo noted that if elected as president next year, part of what he will tackle is the abuse of security agencies by political parties.

According to him, Nigeria lacks proper security architecture, a situation that has continued to threaten national security.

Adebayo, who urged politicians to desist from using security agencies to fight political parties, said “We must stop using security to fight political battles. First, as Commander-in-Chief, I am the one to bring you the notice of violation to the people. I’m in charge of security for God’s sake. The first thing we need to know is that the political elites are very good at scare-mongering.

“What we need to understand is that the insecurity in this country stays and starts from the (Presidential) villa by everything you see outside if you put a proper Commander-in-Chief in place, and they’re not using security as a way to compensate people. They’re managing security architecture. Well, what we’ll call big crimes that are very minimal.”

Naija News gathered that the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) presidential hopeful, Peter Umeadi at the town hall debate questioned why a president will delegate powers to get things done instead of getting involved to tend to matters of national interests.

Umeadi, who pledged to be directly involved in the affairs of the country if elected president next year, also noted that it wasn’t the best for a person in the position of government especially the president to blame other people for happenings in the country.

He submitted that “If I’m President, I’ll infuse myself into the work, and get things done directly. It’s about discipline, and the structure of security, but most importantly, it’s about leadership. A president has to be in direct contact with all that is happening in the country.

“As a Commander-in-Chief, I want results. I do not know why a policeman would run away from an armed robber; the armed robber should not be more or better armed than the police.

“These are the issues, hence we have to make sure that the state prevails. We need to tackle security squarely by being sincere.’’

The presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Sani said his government will fight corruption, among other things like insecurity, and poverty when he is elected president next year.

He alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was presiding over a corrupt government and that if he becomes president, no one would be above the law, “as corruption will be dealt with, thereby eliminating poverty and improving the security situation in the country.’’

While alleging that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was top of the corrupt bodies, Sani said “Take, for instance, our security outfits today. Unfortunately, it is lopsided in terms of the leadership that you have in dispute. So, as the next president, I will govern with rule of law and that means that nobody would be above the law.”