A security expert, Adejare Adegbenro, has faulted a claim made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, that “the worst is over” concerning the security situation in the country.
The Minister, while briefing the newsmen on the security situation in the country on Monday, had said that, “The worst is over.”
Adegbenro who questioned the statement, while featuring on OGTV breakfast programme, New Dawn, on Thursday, submitted that this is not the right time to make bogus statements but rather call on every stakeholder to work in tandem for a safe Nigeria.
“We Nigerians make a mockery of ourselves and it’s a big joke. I get angry when I hear such claims. How’s the worst over? As far as I am concerned, Nigeria still has a lot of security gaps against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.
“If the minister is being truthful, the best thing he could say was, ‘we are working on it.’ That’s the appropriate thing to say. How many of them have gone to do on the spot assessment despite being in possession of bullet proof cars?” he queried.
Speaking further, he said, “It hurts me that the Nigeria I saw while growing up is not the Nigeria I see now. When he said the worst is over, wasn’t there an attack barely 24 hours after the abduction of 32 passengers along Ondo State axis on Oluku/Owo Road? Have they been released? Even after his statement, haven’t the criminals attacked? We thank God that we are very prayerful people.”
Adegbenro observed that, “If not for prayers, left to this set of political class, Nigeria would no longer be Nigeria, because Nigeria’s security strength is about 1.2 million to over 200 million people of the country.
“Out of that small numerical strength, so many are being used by the Federal Government, agencies and the VIPs and if you deduct that, you will be amazed that quite a number of our security officers are doing what bodyguards should be doing ordinarily!”
However, he admitted that the Nigerian Army, the Air force, the Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies have been making tremendous efforts, which must be commended, just as he urged the government of the day to give them good welfare packages for their efforts to boost their morale.
