A high-profile conference on insecurity in Nigeria and in Africa was held on Wednesday at the Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, where scholars and security stakeholders dissected the problem and proffered solutions.
The conference, which was organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences of UNIOSUN, was held at the university’s College of Management and Social Sciences’s Auditorium, at the Okuku campus of the institution.
While declaring open the conference with the theme: “Drivers of Insecurity in Nigeria and Africa,” the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Odunayo Clement Adebooye, expressed worry over the regional complexities of insecurity in the country.
Emphasizing terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, herder-farmer clashes in the Middle Belt, and militancy in the Niger Delta, Professor Adebooye hammered on the urgency of tackling insecurity, which he described as a multifaceted barrier to development.
According to him, “Addressing insecurity is not the responsibility of governments alone, it requires collective action from academia, civil society, the private sector, citizens and international organizations. This conference is a platform to propose bold, actionable solutions that can resonate beyond these walls.”
The lead paper presenter at the conference, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, a newspaper columnist and the Editor of Saturday Tribune, described good governance as the key solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
Olagunju said in his paper entitled: “Poverty of Mind, Poverty of Pocket, Poverty of Peace” that drivers of insecurity included bad governance, Illiteracy, ignorance and poverty. He also blamed insecurity on what he called denial/self-deception.
He explained that “lack of the right education had the potential to result in joblessness and poverty, and where you have both, there will be a regime of anger, hunger and insecurity.
“We all know that where government is bad and weak, all institutions are bound to flail and fail. The results will be a rash of violence and criminality bred by illiteracy, unemployment and poverty – in that order.”
Olagunju noted with statistics that zones with the highest out-of-school children have the highest poverty rate and the highest rate of insecurity. He warned that the situation would not improve unless the underlying factors are comprehensively tackled.
Speaking more on what should be done to defeat insecurity in Nigeria, Olagunju said: “Albert Einstein warned that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. So, I conclude with just one, sole, suggestion as a solution: Good governance. It is good governance that will give education for the uneducated, job for the jobless, food for the hungry; justice to the deadly. A regime that puts a stop to our culture of denial and self-deception and impunity.”
Others who spoke at the conference included Professor Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi, a renowned expert in security studies and keynote speaker at the event, identified economic inequality, unemployment, weak governance, and the proliferation of small arms as critical factors.
He however stated that, “Solving insecurity requires innovative thinking, robust governance, and sustainable economic policies.”
The Olokuku of Okuku, His Royal Majesty, Oba Abioye Oyebode, who served as the Royal Father of the Day. In his remarks, criticised the government for neglecting citizens after elections, stating, “Politicians campaign tirelessly for votes but abandon the electorate once elected.”
Also, Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Umar Abba, represented by ACP Ajayi Williams, advised citizens to be law-abiding and support the government’s efforts to protect lives and property.
“Security is a collective responsibility,” he stated, encouraging collaboration between law enforcement and the public.
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