The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said that a lack of political will on the part of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government is hampering efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.
Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano State, stated this while speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the passing-out parade of 2,000 newly recruited watchmen under the Kano State Neighbourhood Watch Corps.
The former Minister of Defence recalled, with nostalgia, how Nigerian troops deployed on peacekeeping missions in other countries performed creditably well, yet have been unable to resolve the persistent insecurity at home.
He urged the President to adequately equip security agencies through sustained training and retraining, recruitment, and the provision of necessary equipment, arms and ammunition to effectively confront the security challenges.
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According to him, “Let me at this point advise the Federal Government, particularly in my capacity as a former Minister of Defence under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. I know the capacity of our officers and men. I have seen them in action in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur and Sudan. They performed excellently and made all of us proud.
“Based on that experience, many of us believe that what we lack today is political will, especially from the Commander-in-Chief himself. The Commander-in-Chief must come forward and truly assume that role by providing the military and other security agencies with what they require in terms of training, retraining, recruitment, equipment, arms and ammunition, among others.”
Kwankwaso further advised the Federal Government to absorb trained youths from states such as Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara into the nation’s security architecture to strengthen the fight against banditry.
