One of Nigeria’s leading faith-based organisations, The Muslim Congress (TMC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits terrorists, saying their recent atrocities against the nation are acts of terror.
The group made the call during the 19th series of its quarterly State-of-the-Nation Press Conference held on Saturday, 24th of October in Lagos.
The Amir of The Muslim Congress, Alhaji Abdul Wasi Bangbala, who chairs the group committee on social mobility, economy, and politics said it is high time the bandits were declared terrorists because of the atrocities they have been committing, especially in recent times.
According to him, “It no longer makes sense to treat them with kid gloves since we have seen that they have no intention of repenting and doing away with their bad ways.
“The actions of the Zamfara and Katsina State governments in granting amnesty to the bandits before now did not yield any tangible result. They simply returned to kidnapping, killing and maiming of innocent citizens after enjoying the financial largesse from the two states”, he noted.
The group revealed that in the last three months, the bandits have killed 343 people while 830 were abducted in Kaduna state alone, adding that, “What would anyone say were the sins of the innocent people who were killed and abducted? The magnitude of the killings and abductions should never be tolerated in any sane society.”
Bangbala, however, supports the Kaduna Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai on his call for the declaration of the bandits as terrorists by the Federal Government.
He said, “This will ensure that the military can go all out in the decimation of these enemies of the state. This is the only way we can put the menace of bandits behind us in the country. We have seen their audacity in laying ambush for members of the military forces and killing them.
“We have also seen the recent bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line by these mindless people. It was the mercy of God that saved the passengers that were caught in the bombing. It is dangerous to wait a little longer while they acquire the capacity to shoot down planes at will. President Buhari should act fast. A stitch in time saves nine.”
… Rising prices of goods and services
At the press conference, the group raised concerns over some other plethora of challenges bedevilling the country. Bangbala said Nigeria is presently undergoing a very difficult phase in its economic development.
Speaking further, “The naira-dollar exchange rate has continued to go up despite numerous interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Finance Ministry. Inflation is still in double digits, despite a little reduction experienced recently. There is a high increase in the prices of virtually all items, occasioned by many factors including insecurity.”
According to him, Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people has not been able to put its abundant human resource into good use. This, coupled with poor infrastructure, unfriendly business climate and the largely-untamed hydra-headed corruption monster has kept Nigeria non-competitive in the international arena.
“Nigeria is a consuming and not a producing nation which leaves us at the mercy of the fluctuations of the naira in relation to other foreign currencies. Nigeria needs to urgently transform into an industrial nation with the capacity to manufacture steel and paper right here in Nigeria by Nigerians. We must also be able to generate enough electricity on the scale that can power an industrial nation.
Until we can do this, the economic fortunes of Nigerians and the well-being of the average Nigerian will continue to be on the low ebb. Until we can properly begin our journey towards industrialisation, Nigerians would have to look inwards by investing more in science and innovation.
“We must buy and use made-in-Nigeria products and services. The government at all levels would need to invest more in the human capital development of Nigerians by spending more on the education sector at all levels”, the press release read in part.
Other issues raised in the press release (below)
OVERCOMING NIGERIA’S MANY INSECURITY PROBLEMS
There is no denying the fact that there is a great deal of insecurity in Nigeria today. The insecurity has been brought about by the activities of the Boko Haram elements terrorizing the people especially in the North-Eastern part of the country. The activities of bandits that are very active in the Northern States of Kaduna, Katsina, Nassarawa, Niger, Zamfara and, more recently, in Sokoto state. The violence between the mainly-Fulani herders and the farmers is also there even though there is a little reduction in this particular crisis at the moment. The activities of IPOB, the Indigenous People of Biafra, and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) have also rendered the South-Eastern states highly insecure, especially in Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi states. We also have the negative activities of kidnappers happening in the South-West and especially becoming more rampant in Ekiti and Osun states. The Federal Government has been actively battling this insecurity by changing the officers at the helms of the military operations. The FG has also stepped up on equipping the armed forces by taking delivery of new Tucano jets for combat against the enemies of the state. Until insecurity is reduced to the barest minimum, we will continue to urge the FG to do more in collaboration with the states. More financing for both advanced equipment and improved personnel welfare is still needed. Non-military options must also be looked into. This is where the FG has taken a lead by deploying welfare intervention programmes that provide jobs and financial incentives for the youths whether they are working class, artisans, graduates or undergraduates. We implore the states to follow the example of the FG by also deploying welfare intervention programmes. There is the urgent need to keep people busy in productive ventures so that they will not be lured into criminal activities. We appeal to any individual or group that might be fuelling this dastardly state of insecurity to sheathe his or her sword and allow the people to enjoy peace and security. The security and safety of every Nigerian is our collective responsibility. We all must work hard to stop the insecurity which has led to thousands of deaths, displacements of people from their indigenous homes, inability to access farms for farming activities and the inability to safely carry out tangible economic activities. These are the more reasons everything has to be done to bring back peace and harmony.
NIGERIA’S RISING DEBT PROFILE AND THE NEED TO PROVIDE NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE
Nigeria’s Federal budget of about 16 trillion naira for 2022 is just too meagre for a nation of over 200 million people with a major infrastructural deficit. If Nigeria must stand a serious chance at developing its infrastructure and enhancing the welfare of her citizens, it must continue to borrow from the international community and from other nations. Once it has already become clear that the generated revenue of the nation is grossly insufficient to meet developmental needs, it will be foolhardy not to borrow more to finance critical infrastructure like power, roads, rail, education, housing and health. The cumulative returns on the investments on infrastructure will pay back the debts in the near future. Nigeria can only become poorer and retrogress the more if it does not have adequate financial capacity for developmental purposes. Since Nigeria is reluctant to increase the financial burden on its citizens by raising taxes and including more people in the tax net which will further lead to more poverty, it must then necessarily borrow. Of course, we agree with the fact that the borrowed money must be judiciously used for the intended purposes. We agree that we must take the government to task on the issues of reducing cost of governance and reducing the endemic corruption. We agree that the government must be compelled to show more transparency and more accountability in the way and manner the country’s revenue is deployed. But what is certain is that the nation cannot afford to wait till tomorrow to do what it has to do today. Waiting till tomorrow comes at a higher cost than doing the things we have to do today on borrowed funds. Consider what would have been the cost of the Metroline Project proposed in 1983 by the then Governor of Lagos State, the late Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, to what it will be today in 2021. Add to that the cost of the untold sufferings that Lagosians have had to undergo through loss of man-hours, depreciation in health status and lost productivity in the last 37 years. Which one costs more; is it borrowing today or waiting till tomorrow? It is significantly better and significantly cheaper to borrow now to develop our country than to wait till tomorrow.
THE ANAMBRA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION AND THE RAGING VIOLENCE IN THE SOUTH EAST
The time has come when the Federal Government and the states in the South-East must come together to find a lasting solution to the violence that has rocked this area. The South-East is virtually turning to a killing field where the lives and properties of the people are no longer secure. Something more tangible must be done to stop the killings by so-called unknown gunmen. The Police and the Army must ensure that the situation does not degenerate further than it is already. So many people have been killed and maimed including ordinary and prominent citizens, members of the police and the army. It is so bad that nobody can lay claim to being secure in the South-East anymore. The governors in this area must come together to find a political and military solution that will check the menace of violence in the area. The sit-at-home that is being enforced by IPOB members is another nefarious activity that is crippling the financial and economic well-being of individuals, groups, businesses and the government. This is the time to call all stakeholders together towards ensuring the return of peace and harmony in the area. The Anambra gubernatorial election also comes up on Saturday November 6 which is just a few days away. It will be unpalatable for the country if the violent elements in the state succeed in their plot to disrupt the election. The Federal Government must ensure that the state is adequately secured to protect voters who would like to exercise their franchise in electing a governor of their choice. No one knows whether the high spate of killings in Anambra state has something to do with election or not. But only the aftermath of the election can tell. We urge the good people of Anambra and the entire South-East to eschew violence and embrace peace. It is only when there is peace and security that we can have progress and development. The Federal Government should also pursue a political solution towards ensuring that the violence in the South-East is quickly brought to an end. The governors of the South-East must work together in ensuring the implementation of their proposed regional security outfit. If properly implemented, it would checkmate the activities of the violent elements within the area.
THE COMMEMORATION OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ENDSARS PROTESTS
It is a year now since the ENDSARS protests that rocked many parts of the nation and most especially the South-West. This protest led to the wanton destruction of lives and properties. Many people were killed in the aftermath of the protests including innocent citizens and dutiful police officers. This is one situation that we must never allow to repeat itself. We must therefore take adequate steps in ensuring that the lessons of the times are properly learnt and should be a guiding light in directing our affairs henceforth. The events of the protests have made it crystal clear that we need a society where law-abiding citizens are able to freely go about their lawful duties without any form of molestation from any member of the Nigerian armed forces. At the same time, we must protect the sanctity of the lives of all citizens whether in mufti or in uniform. The duties of the various law-enforcement agencies are crucial to the maintenance of law and order and safety and security of the nation. The judicial enquiries should go public with their findings and begin to implement the resolutions to the letter. Everyone that needs to be compensated should be compensated and those that are deserving of punishment must be adequately punished. We must also put in place an adequate and effective system of checks and balances that ensures that members of the police and the army do not go beyond their bounds in discharging their duties. Both the states and the FG must see to it that the liberties and rights of the people are protected at all times. It is when this is done that we can say that we have a nation where everyone is guaranteed the exercise of his or her fundamental human rights.
