Insecurity: Jega calls for overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture

Amid the worsening spate of insecurity across Nigeria, Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC), says Nigeria must urgently overhaul its current security architecture and initiate robust security strategies to curtail the threat of insurgents, terrorism, and other criminals ravaging the country.

Jega, who is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Bayero University, noted that to reposition the police, the Army and other security forces, a new approach was needed in training, recruitment, reorientation and enhancement of their professionalism.

He stated this Tuesday while speaking as a distinguished guest lecturer at the 7th Goddy Jidenma foundation public lecture, with the theme; Governance, Insecurity, Poverty and Socio-Economic Development in Contemporary Nigeria: Which Way Forward?

The event was held at the Agip hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos.

He further stressed that Nigeria must develop capacity for citizens’ unique identification, especially the profiling of criminals using advanced fingerprint technology databases and enhancing the professional capacity of all security agencies for intelligence gathering, analyses to fight crime.

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“Defining an appropriate active role for traditional institutions in national security provisioning, especially as it pertains to conflict resolution and intelligence gathering, as well as proactive partnership and collaboration with security agencies,” Jega added.

Speaking further, the scholar warned that holistic structural and institutional reforms are required in order to reposition government in Nigeria, make them more responsive to the yearning of Nigerians and reduce tension in the polity.

According to him, “Reforms are required to cover all the four fundamental aspects of governance, namely: structure, institutions, agents, actors and attitudes, behaviours.

“If only Nigeria could begin the governance reform processes with the urgency, as well as the serious commitment that it deserves, we can in a reasonably short time de-escalate tension in the polity and begin to strengthen the foundation of good democratic governance for human security”.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the event and former minister of Industry, Nike Akande, extolled the virtues of the late Goddy Jidenma, stressing that he would always be remembered for his selfless service to humanity.

Founder and executive secretary of the foundation, Ije Jidenma, said the foundation had over the years through the foundation’s public lectures brought topics that discuss and proffers solutions to Nigeria’s contemporary socio-economic challenges while thanking everyone who contributed towards the success of this year’s event.