The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi Peters; and other key stakeholders have thrown their weight behind grassroots security initiatives aimed at empowering community actors to tackle insecurity from the bottom up.
They stated this at the First Bi-Annual Training on Community Security Engagement, held at NOUN headquarters in Abuja yesterday.
The event, which brought together traditional rulers, local government chairmen, and critical grassroots stakeholders, is themed: “A Tripartite Synergy as a Legislative Advocacy Aimed at Providing Structural Framework to Put in Place Trained and Equipped Community First-line of Defence (COFILODS) to Save Our Communities.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Senator Akpabio, represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Muntari Dandutse, reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to supporting localised, community-led responses to Nigeria’s rising insecurity.
He described the training as part of a sustained legislative effort to enhance peace and security by strengthening the capacities of community leaders. “Security at the grassroots level is not only important, but urgent. The Senate considers this initiative a priority and sees local communities as the first and most effective line of defence,” he said.
Akpabio urged participants to leverage their local knowledge and positions of influence in developing practical strategies. “The National Assembly recognises the vital role traditional rulers, local government authorities, and community leaders play in safeguarding peace. This synergy is not just a conversation; it is a call to action.”
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Isaac Sammani Butswat, called for grassroots mobilisation, stressing that effective security must start from the lowest rungs of society.
“The importance of grassroots involvement in security cannot be overstated. Every Nigerian belongs to a local government, even though many young people today may not know theirs. Yet, it is from these communities that our strength and solutions must emerge,” he said.
He also cautioned community leaders to be vigilant and refuse gifts or associations that could undermine their integrity or associate them with criminality. “Leadership must be ethical. Leaders must not receive gifts that are proceeds of crime. That compromises everything.”
Also speaking, Isa Yuguda, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of NOUN, emphasises that security must be inclusive and expresses concern over how religion is being misused in society.
He lamented that many people have abandoned true religious values and are instead treating religion, both Christianity and Islam as commercial enterprises.
This trend, he said , contributes to societal instability.
Yuguda called on the government to guide the youth, take decisive action, and implement preventive measures to address these issues.
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