The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South South Zonal Working Committee, has called on governors in the region to join forces with various security agencies to tackle insecurity in the region.
Chief Dan Orbih, National Vice Chairman of the party in the region, made the call on Tuesday in Benin when he led the Zonal National Committee on a courtesy visit to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.
Obaseki also declared, during the visit, that there is crisis in the country because Nigeria’s security structure has expired.
Orbih noted that the growing insecurity occasioned by the uncontrolled activities of ruthless bandits and herdsmen was worrisome.
According to him, “we have lost innocent men and women in the past few years more than nations at war.
“A situation where people can no longer go to their farms is a signal for impending food crisis.
“We call on the governors and leaders of the South-South to come together and protect our people.
“The Yoruba have taken steps to check the menace of these groups with the formation of Amotekun, the Igbo have theirs in Ebubeagu Security Network.
“What are we doing in the South-South?
“We must fashion out ways in collaboration with various security agencies to check the unprovoked assault on our people.
“Our people are distressed. The federal roads are in bad shapes and unsafe.
“Last week, Senator Cliff Odia was attacked twice same day by different groups on his way from Edo to Abuja.
“We enjoin you to join forces with those calling for state and community policing to complement the present structure.”
The PDP South South leader also urged governors in the South-South not to relent in the demand for State Police.
He also called on the federal government to stop borrowing money to fund “corruption”.
“Lack of accountability in the NDDC has affected development in the zone. It has eroded trust and promotes unemployment and criminality among the youth.
“A hungry man is an angry man. The federal government must stop playing politics with NDDC.
“The rising poverty index and lack of employment are now major problems in our zone.
“On the whole, I make bold to state that the current security problem confronting us is a threat to democracy.
“We urge you to use your second term in office to put in place development and achievements that will make future elections easier for our party in the state and the zone,” he said.
He disclosed that the zonal committee members were in the state as part of their official tour of the zone to commend and applaud the good works the PDP Governors were doing and ask them to do more.
He noted that they were embarking on the tour at a very difficult and challenging time in our nation’s history.
“The issues confronting us today are so serious that COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged the world is dwarfed by domestic problems facing us,” Orbih added.
In his response, Obaseki urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country amid the challenges facing the country but work collectively to ensure a better Nigeria.
Obaseki identified insecurity as one of the country’s biggest challenges, and blamed mismanagement of the nation’s economy for the worrisome trend.
“We should not lose hope in Nigeria but focus on how to create confidence to give our people hope by managing the country well.
“The challenges of insecurity just show the dysfunctionality of our federal system.
“We run a federation, we have three tiers of government: Federal, State and Local Governments. Why should security be exclusive to the federal level?
“What happened to the other two? Until we address that structural imbalance, we are not going to be able to deal with security at its core.”
Acknowledging that the country had a major problem, he said: “Let us, as party men and Nigerians, help rescue the nation and call on those that have the capacity to rescue Nigeria.
“Security is local and we can rescue this nation, that is why Edo is relatively peaceful.
“In the South-South, we must stand up to defend ourselves economically, politically and security wise.
“We have pretenders in the region who try to exploit the region and we must stop them,” the governor said.
According to the governor, when you concentrate resources at the centre, you can’t get results.
“The security structure that we have in Nigeria has expired. We need a new security arrangement. The system that we operated till now is not tenable”.
