Only good governance can end insecurity, says Abubakar

FORMER Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar Monday lamented the security situation in the country and declared that the only panacea to the current insecurity engendered by the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, is for the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to provide good governance in the country.

Abubakar spoke  at a seminar organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) at the ongoing Kaduna International Trade Fair.

Abubakar pointed out that until there is honesty, transparent and good leadership, the country would not make any meaningful progress that would promote development and growth of the economy.

The seminar was entitled, “Combating Security Challenges and the Way Forward for Nigerian Economic Transformation.”

Abubakar traced the history of the Islamist sect back to 2009 when security men were deployed to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to clamp down on the Boko Haram, noting that “it has become the biggest security challenge facing us today.”

The former military leader, however, cautioned the security agencies against use of force as a way of solving the insurgency, saying that no country ever achieved positive result using force for force.

“There is need to rely on good governance and accountability rather than using force to tackle this security challenge. No country can be stable when its citizens are not secured and protected, government should make education free at both primary and secondary levels.

“Unless the country can sleep and wake up safely, it can never make any progress, there should be good leadership, and there should be honesty, transparency and accountability in our polity,”  Abubakar said.





Fielding questions from journalists at the event, he expressed concern about the insecurity ravaging in northern Nigeria. “We should be worried about the insecurity because it is a senseless act, we keep killing ourselves, we keep destroying our economy and in the long run we would have to come and rebuild it. It is a matter of concern that we look into what could be done to restore security.

“Like the lecturer was saying, poverty is not an excuse for criminality. All Nigerians should wake up and join the government in other to rescue this country because all these criminals are living amongst us and we should do our best to expose them. With due respect, the government receives all sort of advice through people like you in the media and through all citizens, and you will agree with me that the insecurity has considerably reduced, so I think they are taking action and I want them to continue that way.”

“You know as a military leader there are certain things that you do and get away with it but when it comes to democracy, you are accountable to the people so you must be very careful the way you handle things. Although you want to deliver security, you want to deliver the economy to the nation, there are certain things, you as a democrat must be careful.”

Abubakar said, “some Nigerians believe that 2015 will be bloody, who are these Nigerians who think that 2015 election is going to be bloody? Those people who think the elections will be bloody should think twice, nobody hopes for any bloodletting in whatever situation.”