Governors of the South East zone have initiated conversations and discussions with various segments of the zone to secure the lives and properties of residents.
The Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi disclosed this at the 9 and 10 combined Zik’s lecture series anniversary celebration held at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra state.
The Governor who was represented by the Deputy Governor Dr. Kelechi Igwe noted that the security situation in the zone has elicited concerns as a result of the activities of bandits, kidnappers and unknown gunmen which have led to killings and wanton destruction of properties and threat to investment potentials of the Igbos.
“We have initiated conversations and discussions with various segments of the zone to tackle some genuine concerns which was misinterpreted and hijacked by some faceless people masquerading as unknown gunmen to cripple the economy of the zone, but as Chief Security Officers of our respective States, we are committed to carry out our constitutional mandate of protecting lives and properties of the South East zone”
The Governor called on National and State Assemblies to take urgent steps to address those sections of the constitution that are inconsistent with the modern trends and capabilities that interrogate the nation’s current security threat.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for embarking on comprehensive multi-sectoral approach in strengthening the security structures of the country.
In a lecture titled “Security, Governance and Nation- building” the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi attributed the current security challenges to inability to settle some fundamental questions of nationhood and find points of convergence in a plural society like Nigeria.
His words “one of the most critical factors for the success of any nation is the achievements of a broad and enduring consensus among the elite drawn from various walks of life on fundamental set of questions that are germane to the establishment and nurturing of a stable foundation for the pursuit of security and development”
In his remarks, Sen. Ben Obi acknowledged that the theme which is Security, Governance and Nation-building represents the triple puzzles that have over the years eluded not just Nigeria, but Africa as a whole, insisting that Nation- building cannot be achieved unless security and governance are fixed.
However, some stakeholders from the zone identified causes of rising insecurity in the South East as lack of patriotism, trust and concern for the citizens, among governors and political leaders from the zone stressing that the governors and political leaders are more interested in amassing public wealth than the welfare of the citizens who voted them in power.
According to a civil servant who preferred anonymity, the governors in the zone pay allegiance to Abuja leaving the masses to languish in poverty resulting from poor infrastructure which includes poor health facilities, poor road network, non-payment of salaries, and joblessness among many others.
He also maintained that when life conditions are bad, it increases social vices such as insecurity.
