Naccima Frowns at State of Insecurity in Nigeria
Nigeria’s business community has expressed concern over the state of insecurity in the country and urged the federal government to take urgent steps to address the problem which it said has the potential to truncate the nation’s fledgling democracy as well as plunging the country into another civil war.
The business community, which is represented by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (Naccima), the umbrella organisation for all chambers of commerce and industry in Nigeria, said in a statement that the growing insecurity in the country also posses serious problems for foreign investments needed to return the nation’s ailing economy to equilibrium.
“Naccima frowns at the current state of insecurity across the country, which today has been extended to cities and most regrettable at religious centres,” the statement said. “This disturbing trend must be given all the needed attention by both the government and citizenry in cooperation in order to arrest the situation.”
Naccima noted that in Nigeria today, public travels are without proper records such as manifests e.g. name: Mr. Richie; Address: Lagos, for a man traveling from Abuja to Lagos. The result is that accidents and incidents leave unrecognised bodies of passengers mutilated. Also guests could check into same hotels and guest houses without showing source of identity.
“Our porous borders and illiteracy on the part of some road users could be said to be contributory to high crime rate and suspected and/or reported crimes in our country,” Naccima said. “The difficulties in tracking criminals and suspects even those who issue fake documents to people, must be tackled with determination.” Naccima said there is the need for the review of the objectives of community policing and to link the re-issuance of national identity card with election registration in due course. It said there are needs to check-mate the influx of smuggled goods without papers, display of petroleum products on road side and power equipment often vandalised and resold in open market is evidence of criminalization. It added that numerous check points on the highways without known positive benefits/results should be looked into by government as well as movement by road of people from one place to another should be better managed.
Schools, hotels, hospital and religious activities should not be located in unapproved and unsafe private houses as this creates frictions among people and road users.
The latest addition of intimidating bombs and bomb scares are to be tacked frontally. Freedom of Information Bill passed with due protection for the touch, the innocent and whistle blowers; etc could be an instrument for reducing criminality and security fears. Landlords should have data of people living in their houses and what they do for a living
Nothing that this intelligence information should be used at the right time to checkmate this growing callousness and insensitivity pervading the polity, Naccima called for public-private sector partnership to make the intelligence gathering of the security more encompassing.
It also noted that the forthcoming general election should not be used as a reason to heat up the polity. It therefore advised the political parties and their flag bearers to present their programmes and manifestoes to the electorates rather than marketing themselves based on personal issues and trying to gain political mileage criminality against humanity.
The Independent Electoral Commission (Inec) should be prepared to partner with the public for the success of the 2011 elections. Naccima advises Inec to rise to the challenges as no Nigeria has frowned about the fund given to the commission.
The business community, which is represented by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (Naccima), the umbrella organisation for all chambers of commerce and industry in Nigeria, said in a statement that the growing insecurity in the country also posses serious problems for foreign investments needed to return the nation’s ailing economy to equilibrium.
“Naccima frowns at the current state of insecurity across the country, which today has been extended to cities and most regrettable at religious centres,” the statement said. “This disturbing trend must be given all the needed attention by both the government and citizenry in cooperation in order to arrest the situation.”
Naccima noted that in Nigeria today, public travels are without proper records such as manifests e.g. name: Mr. Richie; Address: Lagos, for a man traveling from Abuja to Lagos. The result is that accidents and incidents leave unrecognised bodies of passengers mutilated. Also guests could check into same hotels and guest houses without showing source of identity.
“Our porous borders and illiteracy on the part of some road users could be said to be contributory to high crime rate and suspected and/or reported crimes in our country,” Naccima said. “The difficulties in tracking criminals and suspects even those who issue fake documents to people, must be tackled with determination.” Naccima said there is the need for the review of the objectives of community policing and to link the re-issuance of national identity card with election registration in due course. It said there are needs to check-mate the influx of smuggled goods without papers, display of petroleum products on road side and power equipment often vandalised and resold in open market is evidence of criminalization. It added that numerous check points on the highways without known positive benefits/results should be looked into by government as well as movement by road of people from one place to another should be better managed.
Schools, hotels, hospital and religious activities should not be located in unapproved and unsafe private houses as this creates frictions among people and road users.
The latest addition of intimidating bombs and bomb scares are to be tacked frontally. Freedom of Information Bill passed with due protection for the touch, the innocent and whistle blowers; etc could be an instrument for reducing criminality and security fears. Landlords should have data of people living in their houses and what they do for a living
Nothing that this intelligence information should be used at the right time to checkmate this growing callousness and insensitivity pervading the polity, Naccima called for public-private sector partnership to make the intelligence gathering of the security more encompassing.
It also noted that the forthcoming general election should not be used as a reason to heat up the polity. It therefore advised the political parties and their flag bearers to present their programmes and manifestoes to the electorates rather than marketing themselves based on personal issues and trying to gain political mileage criminality against humanity.
The Independent Electoral Commission (Inec) should be prepared to partner with the public for the success of the 2011 elections. Naccima advises Inec to rise to the challenges as no Nigeria has frowned about the fund given to the commission.
