Wike Challenges Buhari on Insurgency
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate his commitment to the fight against insurgency and insecurity.
This was as he renewed his call for state police to boost internal security amid prevailing insecurity in most parts of the country.
Wike, who stated these during an interview of Channels television on Tuesday night, declared that no government can provide good governance if it fails to protect life and property.
“The issue of security is paramount in governance and when a government cannot protect life and property, then that government has failed. There is no two ways about it. There is no propaganda that can solve the problem,” he said.
Governor Wike said one of the reasons insurgency, banditry, cultism and other heinous crimes besetting Nigeria have continued to fester is because the Federal Government have failed to admit it lack the capacity to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the country.
“The president of the country has not shown enough strength to say ‘I am willing to fight this insurgency; I am willing to fight insecurity problem in this country’.
“As a leader, when people see you are willing to do something, I can tell you, you will see that people will come out and give him their best,” he said.
Wike said there is nothing wrong with the Federal Government admitting it has obviously failed in the protection of life and property and that it needs support and ideas to tackle the prevailing insecurity across the country.
He said it was heart-wrenching to hear the governor of Niger State, who is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamenting how the Federal Government nonchalance attitude to the security challenge in his state paved way for Boko Haram to overrun over 50 communities.
The Rivers State governor described as pathetic, incessant cases of kidnapping, banditry and murder of innocent civilians and soldiers.
According to him: “I think the federal government is not interested in the protection of life and property of Nigerians.”
He said there will be nothing wrong if the President Buhari-led Federal Government should seek help from countries like the United States of America, China, United Kingdom and others that have faced and solved similar security challenges.
“If you are incapacitated, there is nothing wrong asking for help from people who have the capacity, who have what it takes to solve such problem.
“You don’t need to shy away because Nigeria is an independent sovereign country and therefore, as a president of a country, you don’t need to seek help from outside.”
The governor called for procurement of requisite equipment that will enable the military and other security agencies to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.
“If you listen to the security men they will tell you they lack equipment, they lack what it takes to fight terrorists or insurgents. They will tell you that, look, we don’t have the equipment,” he said.
Governor Wike maintained that the prevailing insecurity across the country is a pointer to the salient fact that the country urgently require state police to tackle terrorism.
He also said the reason why the APC-led government does not want the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act and for the president to assent to it is because they are not prepared to ensure a free, fair and credible election in 2023.
He declared that, with the prevailing disenchantment in Nigeria over the maladministration that has characterised the APC rule, it is obvious to the party that Nigerians will overwhelmingly vote against them, hence, they are frustrating any electoral reform that will make the 2023 polls credible.
