Peter Obi of Labour, on Monday, said increased insecurity, hunger and poverty in the country under President Bola Tinubu are a recipe for disaster.
In a statement shared on his X account, Mr Obi, therefore, called for measures to ensure the security of lives of Nigerians under the current administration.
“Such a high level of insecurity, when combined with the high level of hunger and poverty in the country, forms a perfect recipe for disaster in our nation,” Mr Obi said. “We must, therefore, take all possible measures to ensure the security of lives and property in our dear nation.”
Mr Obi, however, lauded the idea of state policing by the Tinubu-led federal government and 36 state governors, saying it “should be geared towards ending the ugly trend of insecurity in the nation.”
Listing some recent cases of terrorist and bandit attacks, Mr Obi urged “the government and our security agencies to expedite action on ending these terror attacks on the Nigerian people and ensure that every Nigerian is free to live securely in every part of the nation.”
He added that “we should not just wait for the proposed state Police to do the magic while we become lackadaisical and allow criminals to run riot like the recent reports in Zamfara and Kaduna states.”
After meeting with governors last week, Mr Tinubu said his government is committed to securing the country and ensuring food security.
“I have approved the creation of a committee that includes state governors and federal government representatives to explore, among other things, the possibility of establishing state police, Mr Tinubu said.
“I have also endorsed the training and equipping of forest rangers by sub-national governments to protect human and natural resources in our communities.”
Before last week, Mr Tinubu, in response to public outcry on the rising cost of food driven by skyrocketing inflation in the country, had directed the ministry of agriculture and food security to release about 42,000 metric tonnes of grain, including maize, millet and garri.
He also charged National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the State Security Service and Nigerian police with going after food hoarders.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a summary of its assessment of Nigeria’s economy, lauded Mr Tinubu’s government for structural reforms, scrapping fuel subsidies and floating the naira.
The IMF also said Mr Tinubu’s release of “cereals from the grain reserve, provided subsidised fertiliser to farmers,” amongst others, are measures “to ease the impact of rapidly rising inflation on living conditions.”
