Minister explains reasons for unending war against insurgency, banditry

The Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, George Akume, has stated that the country is still battling banditry and other security challenges owing to inadequate emergency preparedness, response, and policy interventions.

Akume made this disclosure on Wednesday, during the launch of a book, A Planner’s Perspective on Disaster and Conflict; Issues of Forced Displacement of Persons, Management in Nigeria, authored by Bassey Ita Etim-Ikang.

The Minister said: “The challenges facing Nigeria include but not limited to inadequate emergency preparedness and response, the gap between relief materials management and durable development projects, and ad-hoc planning and policy intervention.

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“There is also lack of institutional and legal framework for the management of internally displaced population in Nigeria, insufficient or absence of inter-agency collaboration which mostly results in agencies working at cross purposes with duplicative activities.

“The lack of a defined strategy and appropriate national framework of cooperation among relevant agencies and institutions to design a sustainable action plan for medium-long terms projects have been a huge deficit for policymakers.”

The country has been battling the menace of banditry which has resulted in incessant kidnappings with the government seemingly helpless on how to redress the situation.

However, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has repeatedly advocated the prosecution of the bandits rather than a negotiation.

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