The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, has said that Nigerians have lost confidence in the Federal Government’s ability to take the nation’s security challenges, maintaining that something radical must be done to address the situation.
Maikyau said this when addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.
Noting that Nigerians require “a well-thought-out, informed, all-inclusive and purposeful intervention” amid the deteriorating security situation, he urged the Federal Government to adopt a holistic approach towards insecurity.
He stressed the need to invest in security personnel in the country.
“Some Nigerians have lost, and many more are fast losing confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to deal with the security situation in Nigeria. At this time, when public confidence in the sincerity of the government in dealing with insecurity is at its lowest ebb, something radical must be done as a matter of emergency,” Maikyau said.
The NBA President also decried the killings as well as kidnappings in several parts of the country, saying such reports instill fear in Nigerians.
He also condemned the recent massacre in Plateau, Ekiti, Kogi, and Kwara coupled with the destruction of electricity infrastructure in Bauchi States.
Maikyau also warned that the security challenges, if not promptly tackled, would continue to hurt the nation’s economy.
According to the NBA President, the insecurity has equally impacted negatively on food sufficiency and good security as a nation.
“The Nigerian economy is dwindling; the value of the Naira has been bastardized, prizes of foodstuff have skyrocketed, everything negative seems to be on the rise,” Maikyau added.
“Those who rely on farming as their sole means of livelihood have been thrown into abject poverty because they no longer go to their farms.
“While this administration may argue that it is only seven months into office and is not the cause of present-day experience, the fact remains that it is this government that has the responsibility of stemming the negative tide,” he added.
