By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Federal government has been called upon to as a matter of urgency overhaul the national security architecture in order to win the war against the rising wave of insecurity state in the country.
ActionAid Nigeria made the called in a statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja after the 43rd meeting of the organization Board of Trustees held virtual on Saturday.
“Kidnapping, especially of school children is gradually becoming a norm in the country as insecurity is still on the rise, with many records of banditry, insurgency and killings, especially in the North West, North East and North Central Nigeria.”
“The rising cases of abduction of school children is alarming and will further disparage stakeholders’ efforts at reducing the rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria, particularly, the girl-child. Schools are now seemingly unsafe for girls and give parents undue justification to force their girl-child into early marriage.”
The Non governmental organisation pointed out that community ownership is key to winning the battle against insecurity as evidenced by ActionAid Nigeria Community Action Response Teams (CARTs) piloted in 24 communities in Kogi and Nasarawa states.
The role of the LGAs as the third tier of government in the Nigerian 1999 constitution includes the provision of infrastructural developments at the grassroots. Yet, state governments have continued to usurp the powers and functions attributed to the local governments and only acknowledge them as a subunit of the state with no autonomy.”
The Non-governmental organization urged the Federal government to prioritize policies that will reduce poverty that is target based in each community of the country.
“Tackling poverty requires a multidimensional approach and considerations and Implementing interventionist programs to reduce poverty is difficult when violence is on the rise across Nigeria. Poverty alleviation schemes put in place by the government have been rendered ineffective largely due to corruption, uneven distribution, and lack of accountability.”
“While other African countries spend an average of 17% of their revenue on debt servicing, Nigeria is currently servicing debts with 50% of its revenue. Despite the huge borrowings, there is not enough infrastructure to show for it as many Nigerians remain in abject poverty.”
