By Obiora Ifoh, Abuja
Worried by the increasing threat of insecurity in the nation, the Labour Party has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to rise to the occasion with innovative and creative ideas to rescue Nigeria from imminent collapse.
The party said there is no gainsaying the fact that the alarming rate of insecurity in Nigeria has assumed a frightening dimension in the form of Boko Haram, bandits, herdsmen attacks, kidnapping and such heinous crimes, threatening the corporate existence of the country.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the National Secretary of the party, Barrister Julius Abure accused the Buhari administration of paying lips service to serious national issues such
as practicable electoral system, quality education system and the ravaging corruption crisis in the government.
He said, “Bandits have taken over different parts of the country to the extent that citizens are murdered every day, kidnapped and extorted. Our people can no longer travel on roads safely without being kidnapped or killed by bandits. Citizens can no longer sleep
with their two eyes closed. Farmers can no longer access their farms for fear of being killed.
“A country with such high level of insecurity cannot enjoy economic growth. It will definitely not be able to attract Direct Foreign Investment. Insecurity is one of the major reasons why Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. National security is no doubt a panacea for economic growth and development.”
Taking a quote from the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the party’s scribe said “When a ship of state is approaching a huge rock, the Chief helmsmen or the Captain of the ship must courageously rise to the occasion and steer the ship out of its present course or it shall hit the rock.
“Accordingly, government must begin to confront the high rate of youth unemployment; Labour Party believes that high rate of crime and criminality is a bye product of unemployment, hunger and poverty; good governance promote good values and provides role models for the country which ultimately reduce crime and criminality,
“The Buhari administration must leave the legacy of a credible electoral system where good leaders will emerge and thus provide good governance.
“The quality of our educational system has dwindled over the years, the huge number of out of school children especially in the Northern part of Nigeria has contributed to the personnel of crime and criminality.
“Lack of basic infrastructure or amenities reduces quality and standard of living of the people and therefore promote criminal activities. Corruption and corrupt practices of government officials facilitates crime in the country”, he said.
