Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
As the security agencies appear wearied by the state of insecurity in the country, the Bafarawa Foundation, in partnership with Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Katsina and Sokoto See is billed to organise a national peace and security summit with a view to finding solution to the menace.
Its founder, and former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, while addressing a press conference Thursday in Abuja, said that the summit became necessary following the rising cases of violent crimes in the country and the attendant loss of lives, property, economic opportunities and negative effects of social progress.
His foundation, he said, seeks to support the strengthening of institutional capacity of those charged with managing crimes by promoting processes that enhance broader societal participation, greater coordination and deepen accountability.
He stated: “The Bafarawa Foundation, in partnership with the Kaduna State government, the community and other northern state governments such as Niger, Kastina, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa and Zamfara to undertake this resolution programme.”
The former governor noted that the meeting arose from concerns among government institutions, social, political activists and security agencies about the escalation of crimes and youth involvement in these crimes, which hr said, were all too often linked to insatiable quest for wealth production, terrorism and extremism.
He stated: “The over-simplification of the phenomenon by commentators and reporters had the potential of undermining efforts at resolution. In fact, poor understanding held the potential of doing arm to the resolution process.”
He explained that violent crimes in Nigeria are concentrated in specific under-served urban areas, and is higher in areas where trust in the security agents is lower.
According to him, ineffective security governance and social development arrangement undermine Nigerian’s ability to establish and maintain a viable economy that could sustain acceptable levels of well-being of its citizens, particularly the young and vulnerable.
Bafarawa stressed that his foundation recognises that in an environment characterised by high level of crimes and violence and inequitable dispensation of justice, citizens are alienated and less productive than they might be, and more likely to engage in destructive behaviour.
He said that his foundation therefore intends to provide a clear direction for this challenging problem, saying that the summit would serve as a platform for sharing ideas and recommendation and hopefully bridge the gap between research and policy by making knowledge available to those charged with making change happen.
