The Global Initiative for African Development on Friday expressed concern about insecurity across the country and called for a national dialogue to address it.
Mr Johnson Adesida, Chairman, Summit Organising Committee of the organisation, at a news conference in Abuja, said that Nigeria had recorded serious insecurity trends recently.
Adesida alleged that Nigeria, a country where elected democratic governments had reigned for two decades, had recorded security instability and economic recessions in history.
He said that while the group appreciated the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari in tackling insecurity, security stakeholders ought to take more efforts in that regard.
He said that terrorism had degenerated into banditry, kidnapping, robbery, sporadic shooting and killing of civilians by unidentified gunmen.
“The above scenario is being exacerbated by lack of patriotism, religious intolerance, hate speech and terrorism, which has internally displaced majority of citizens.
“Terrorism has also caused the fall in production of oil which is the major revenue for the country.
“Religious extremists have discouraged children registration in school in the northern part of the country, therefore, deepening poverty, ignorance and illiteracy threatening the future of the country.
“The rise of ethnicity, bigotry, ethnic chauvinism and militia is in high speed.
“So, we must sit down to trash it as a nation ,thus the need for a national dialogue that is scheduled to hold from the Sept. 2 to Sept. 4 in Abuja,’’ he said.
Adesida said that event would have people from all sectors and strata of the society, comprising more than 800 stakeholders to dialogue on how to settle key security issues in the country.
He said this had become imperative for aggrieved persons to air their complaints while the conference would, in turn, seek ways to address them.
He said that there was need for citizens to support the government in the quest for national peace and security “because it was national battle that should be won.
“All hands must be on deck for this purpose so the summit will together national leaders, security agencies and citizens to sit down and talk on the way forward.’’
GIFAD in collaboration with Political Leaders Advocacy Groups are working to deepen democracy and to help forestall insecurity through the summit with the theme“ Nigeria security, Peace, Unity and National Reconciliation: challenges, issues and way forward.’’
Adesida said the objective of the summit included setting up and kick-starting a national discourse on the dreadful security situation in Nigeria at the moment.
He said it was to also deliberate and proffer solutions on the incessant killings, kidnapping and banditry ravaging the peace and the unity of the citizens of Nigeria.
