By Banji Ayoola
Nigeria’s immediate former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday called for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference to solve the security challenges of the country.
He spoke at the Akure, Ondo State home of Afenifere National Leader, Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti during a condolence visit to the elder statesman whose daughter, Mrs Olufunke Olakunori, was killed by bandits on Friday.
Jonathan’s administration had convoked the National Conference comprising eminent Nigerians across the nation, who made far reaching recommendations on how to rework Nigeria to a balanced, just and fair federation for all the composite ethnic groups. But Jonathan was unable to implement them before he left power in 2015.
The recommendations form the major planks, and in fact the main ingredients for restructuring Nigeria in line with the longstanding popular demand of the Nigerian people; and on which President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, rode to power.
Describing the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunori, daughter of Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, an act of terrorism, former President Jonathan advised the Federal Government to set up a special agency to tackle terrorism and kidnapping in the country, as government’s present approach is not yielding the desired results.
He said: “I believe the Federal Government will set up a special agency that will tackle kidnapping and other terrorist attacks just like it set up EFCC to handle issue of corruption.”
The former President also described the incident is a painful occurrence to the whole country as he called on the federal and state governments to be more proactive on the worsening problems of insecurity in the country.
Calling on the Federal Government to implement the report of the 2014 confab, he said some of the recommendations in the report dealt decisively with the issue of security and government only need to implement the recommendations for a lasting solution.
Jonathan, in an interview with reporters, after meeting Fasoranti, said: “In 2014 when I was President, we had a National Conference where a number of things were discussed. The issues of security; state and regional police were discussed.
“I always believe that if the government looks into that report; because it was not written by me, so we should not play politics with national issues. If we look into that report, there are recommendations.
“A lot of things were discussed during the National Conference organised during my time as President. The issue of security, state and community policing were discussed. I always believe that the government should look at that report, it was not written by me.
“We should not play politics with a serious national issue. If we look at that report, there are recommendations that border on security and if there is an area that needs to be expanded, because I believe that everyday, new ideas come, they should be updated.
“There is nothing wrong holding a specific meeting to look at the issue of security. I believe the federal and state governments need to have a new approach, deploy technology and have more money to protect our people.”
He also charged security operatives in the country to deploy technology to fight insecurity, saying there is a need for the Federal Government to set up a special unit that would specifically tackle insecurity in the country.
His words: “I was there as President for some time; security challenges were there with me; I also inherited some. But it is getting worse every day. And we cannot continue to use the same old method.”
Jonathan said: “Every generation of human beings faces problems and that generation must find ways of solving that problem. Every government faces some unique problems. Insecurity has been with us immediately after the civil war. That was the first time we experienced armed robbery in Lagos. From armed robbery, it graduated to kidnapping.
“The first major kidnapping was described as commercial kidnapping because some money exchanged hands. This happened in 2006 when I was governor of Bayelsa State. From commercial kidnapping, it moved to terrorism in the north and now some kind of terrorist attacks are all over the country when people will just come out of the road and spray bullets on innocent people. That is a terrorist attack. You have no reason to attack somebody you don’t even know, that is terrorism.”
The former president, who described the current insecurity in the country as worrisome, said that kidnapping and other terrorist attacks must be tackled decisively.
He said: “The current approach at tackling terrorism is no longer working. I call on government at all levels to design a new approach at tackling the menace in order to get the desired results.”
He admitted that when he was president, his administration was confronted with security challenges too, saying that Nigeria has not been able to develop its economy and infrastructure due to the level of insecurity.
Mrs Olakunori’s death, a national tragedy – Fasanmi
Meanwhile, a factional leader of the Pan-Yoruba Socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Fasanmi, described Mrs Olakunori’s killing as a national tragedy.
Fasanmi who led members of the group to commiserate with Fasoranti who he described as his bosom friend at his residence in Akure, decried high level of insecurity in the country.
Ccalling on governments to urgently address the issue and protect the lives of the people, he said: “What happened was a serious tragedy, not only to Akure, not only to Ondo state, not only to the South-West but to the whole of Nigeria.
“When there is no adequate security people will be killed like a cow; we are not cows. Government must protect the sanctity of lives, government must do something about the security.
“In recent times, a number of people have been killed in Yorubaland. Yoruba people irrespective of their political and religious backgrounds must come together to address the situation.
“We must all come together to salvage this country; we must tighten up the security so that our lives and properties can be safe.”
He stressed the need for the nation’s security to be tightened up to safeguard the lives and property of the citizenry.
