Many Nigerians were worried, some weeks ago, when the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, was caught on live video singing the praises of his employer, President Bola Tinubu.
He was responding to the reported infiltration of Sokoto State by a "new" terror group known as the Lakurawa. He boasted that the armed group was "making a mistake", as "nobody dares Tinubu and wins".
This same group was reported to have arrived in Sokoto about two years ago at the invitation of one of the armed nomadic livestock interest groups terrorising many parts of the country and violently trying to grab the lands of indigenous people. Lakurawa are reported to be Islamic jihadists affiliated to the Al Qaeda in the Maghrib, AQIM. They had been hiding in plain sight of Nigerian security authorities.
Nigerians expect the nation's security architecture, which are within the NSA's jurisdiction, to swoop on such outfits and flush them out. If that had been done, then Ribadu's effusive praise of the president would have been more understandable.
The NSA's empanelment of the Presidential Coordinating Council for Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection, FCCCNAIP, to confront the menace of saboteurs destroying the nation's assets is what Nigerians expect of the Federal Government.
The situation of insecurity facing us demands more action than words. Due to deteriorating situations in the system, the nature of criminality has seen more groups carrying arms and attacking, not just the country and its people, but also the infrastructure they depend on for their well-being.
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Fittings of our bridges and rail tracks are being dismantled for sale by vandals. Terrorists are destroying schools and burning down communities after massacring their inhabitants. They are attacking our power transmission lines and doing everything in their power to prove that government has lost effective control of the country. They are grabbing large swathes of ungoverned territories and imposing their sovereignty on our defenceless citizens.
The FCCCNAIP is expected to monitor and protect these national assets. We, however, believe that the NSA's measure is not enough to tackle this problem. We remain tireless in calling for the inclusion of the people in their security and protection of national assets. The people must be enlisted to join in this effort.
The state governments, local governments and even the various indigenous communities must be mobilised to raise vigilance groups to monitor assets within their areas. They should act as the eyes and ears of the security system and report any suspicious activities for prompt action.
Nigeria is a vast country, and the system is too weak to be protected by a central body. This is an antiquated approach and may not yield much result.
They must involve the people by changing their mindsets and mobilising them for the patriotic jobs of securing national assets.
