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3 months ago

Must We Continue like this?

MUST WE CONTINUE LIKE THIS? THE INSECURITY CRISIS IN NIGERIA Published by: Prophet. Sbj Michael _Opinion | National Issues_ The issue of insecurity in Nigeria is a great cause for concern. Every day, we wake up to reports of kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, terrorism, and communal clashes in different parts of the country. No region is truly safe anymore — not the North, not the South, not the East, and not the West. Must we continue like this? Schools are being shut down because of abductions. Farmers can no longer go to their farms for fear of attacks. Travelers now pray before embarking on journeys because highways have become danger zones. Businesses are closing, investors are leaving, and many Nigerians are losing hope in the future of the country. According to the National Bureau of Statistics and security reports*, over 3,000 people were killed and more than 2,000 kidnapped in 2023 alone. This is in addition to thousands displaced from their homes, especially in the North-East, North-West, and Middle Belt. The effects are clear: 1. On Education: Children are dropping out of school. Parents are afraid to send their wards to school. 2. On Economy: Agriculture and trade have been crippled. Food prices have gone up because farmers cannot farm. 3. On Unity: Fear and distrust are growing among communities. People no longer feel like one nation. The truth is, insecurity thrives where there is poverty, unemployment, and weak institutions. Many of our youths, who should be building the nation, are being recruited into crime because they have no jobs and no hope. Must we continue like this? No. Government must rise to its primary responsibility: the protection of lives and property. This means: 1. Equipping and motivating our security agencies with modern tools and intelligence. 2. Creating jobs and opportunities for our teeming youths so they will not see crime as an option. 3. Strengthening community policing and involving traditional rulers and local leaders in the fight. 4. Ensuring justice by prosecuting those found guilty, no matter how highly placed. As citizens, we also have a role. We must say no to supporting criminality, report suspicious activities, and promote peace in our communities. Parents must instill discipline and the fear of God in their children. Nigeria is blessed with both human and natural resources. But no nation can develop when its people live in fear. So I ask again: Must we continue like this? The answer must be "No". It is time for government, leaders, and citizens to work together to restore peace and security in Nigeria. Our children deserve to grow up in a safe country.

Must We Continue like this?
  • MUST WE CONTINUE LIKE THIS?

The negative attitude of many Nigerian youths is a great cause for concern.

We lament the laziness of our young ones. On daily bases, most of them sit under tree and drinking houses as early as eight o’clock in the morning to consume alcohol, play games, watch irrelevant films and sometimes plan evil against the society. How do you justify the drug peddling activities of these so-called leaders of tomorrow? They kidnap, rape, burn and kill at will.

Internet fraud or 419 is very rampant in our society. With their plaited hair, tattooed arms, earrings and golden teeth, they fear nobody, including law enforcement agencies. Worst still, many parents are comfortable with their son’s ill-gotten wealth as they do not question the source of their children’s wealth.

The dishonesty displayed in the society, the disrespect to elders and the destruction of our cultural heritage are some of the negative indices prevalent in our various communities. You hardly go to sleep with your two eyes closed as our society is replete with marauding armed robbers since most of the youths are not ready to take their academic work seriously. Since they are not ready to get involved in learning a particular profession but go after quick money, social life and cultism, we are all in for greater problems.

There is dignity in labour. Our youths must go back to hard work, think positively about our country, reduce the syndrome of travelling abroad to make it and pray for greater tomorrow. No nation develops when the youths are lazy. No nation progresses when the natural resource and human potentials are abandoned or remain untapped. Parents must put in more efforts to teach from the family level. Our leaders must lead by example. They should not kill the spirit and interests of the young ones. Let us put fear of God in whatever we do because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and the development of a nation.

For many years, the scarcity of fuel has often brought a lot of hardship to citizens of the country. It brings economic activities to a standstill. It is a shame that Nigeria, as one of the major oil producing countries in the world, has no functioning oil refinery. The crude oil is taken to other countries for refining. It comes back as imported. It costs more to refine. From one government to the other, the problem of fuel scarcity remains unsolved. The government must rise up to build refineries or repair the existing ones. Competent people must be employed to man our refineries. No country survives on importation. Besides, those found guilty of sabotaging government effort in restoring normally in the petroleum industry should be severely punished.

For a very long time, Nigeria has been encountering many problems. One of these problems is that of unemployment. Every year, many graduates are produced and unleashed into the labour market. The available vacancies are very few. Every unemployed person needs a job. This problem is made worse by the fact that many are only interested in working in banks, oil companies, the customs, immigration and in the ministries. These job seekers want to stay in cities and be in air-conditioned offices. They abhor menial jobs. The aim of these unemployed is to make big money and ride cars as soon as they are employed. The problem of unemployment is so severe that many graduates prefer any menial job to keep body and soul together to staying idle.

Many families whose breadwinners have no jobs cannot feed properly. These families cannot pay school fees for their children and, to a very large extent, they do not have decent houses to live in. Besides, the problem of armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping, murder, arson and many other social vices are on the increase as a result of unemployment.

To reduce the problem of unemployment, young graduates should take up jobs in agriculture, small scale businesses, mining, fishing, local fabrication and trading. Technology is another untapped area that job seekers should venture into. Federal and state governments should grant loans with minimum collateral to willing and honest young men and women to start small scale businesses. If all these efforts are put into work, the problems Nigerians are facing today will be reduced to the barest minimum.