ASO ROCK WATCH: As Buhari orders crackdown on Imo ‘terrorists’. Two other talking points

Nigerians, last week, woke up to the horrible news of the destruction in Imo State of the Police headquarters and Correctional Centre by men reportedly wielding guns and explosives which saw to the escape of some 1884 inmates.

This shocking development has since placed more pressure on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to brace up to the festering insecurity in the country.

Aso Rock Watch reviews this and other stories on the Nigerian presidency past week.

Buhari on Imo terrorists

President Muhammadu Buhari, on April 5, directed all security and intelligence agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those who attacked both the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Nigerian Correctional Facility (NCoS), in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the attack as an act of terrorism.

The President also urged that the best efforts be made to re-arrest the fleeing prison detainees, many of whom are believed to be die-hard criminals.

The attack, sadly, tells how vulnerable the Police stations and correctional centres in the country have become. It also demonstrates how cancerous the insecurity plaguing the country has become as practically every region is now recipient of deadly attacks lately.

Read also: ASO ROCK WATCH: In desperate defence of Buhari’s medical trip. Two other talking points

More worrisome is the devastating reality that the fleeing inmates could fuel more criminal activities, not just in Imo State, but the country at large. This signposts a serious danger ahead as the security personnel who are supposed to maintain law and order experience a slump in morale as criminal elements run riot.

The need to have Nigerian lives protected, as mandatorily guaranteed by the constitution, can never be overemphasized. It is not enough to issue orders but match them with appropriate actions.

The realities on ground also suggest that the President must eat the humble pie, admit the failure of centralizing security management in Abuja, while leading a call for restructuring that would see the States take more responsibility for managing their own security challenges.

The time for Buhari to act more and talk less is now.

Two other talking points

Aisha’s good governance postures

On April 8, First Lady, Aisha Buhari, disclosed that the passion she had for good governance was the reason why she criticizes her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari.

She spoke during the launch of her biography, Aisha Buhari: Being Different. In the book, written by Daji Sani, she noted that her actions were not meant to disrespect or criticise him publicly.

No doubt, Aisha’s critical opinions about her husband’s administration standout, though there are many who perceive her good governance posturing as an embarrassment to the President, and a show of disunity in the country’s first family.

As strange as Aisha’s critical stances appear, the need for her not to relent in calling out mis-governance in her husband’s administration is widely supported. This is one road she must continue to walk in order to maintain her avowed passion for good governance.

Leveraging technology

President Buhari, on April 6, advised Nigerians to embrace modern technology in order to optimize the stream of digitisation pervading the economy currently.

Represented by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, at the 50th Annual Accountants’ Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the President said, among other things: “For all of us in general and accountants in particular, the journey towards digital and growing cloud adoption is the mother trend of all changes.”

Buhari’s remarks serve as a useful conversation on the need to embrace the technology and leverage its benefits for the growth and development of the society.

What becomes a thing of concern, however, is the slow march towards the actual USA toon of this dream as the provision of the needed infrastructure, and enabling environment to make it come to fruition are far and in between.

By John Chukwu…

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now