Poverty, greatest cause of insecurity in Nigeria —Uzodinma

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, on Saturday said poverty was the greatest cause of the wave of insecurity in the country.

Uzodinma, who spoke in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, also lamented that the current level of insecurity was the greatest the country had ever witnessed.

According to him, leadership and patriotism being exhibited by President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, are the way out.

Uzodinma, who presented a paper on “National Security and Sustainable Development” at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), also cried out on imminent swallowing up of Imo land by gully erosion.

According to him, while peace and security are ‘sine qua none ‘ for development, it can also be said that real development driven by good leadership cum governance , are also precursor to peace and security, the very reason President Buhari’s leadership will help in getting Nigeria out of the woods.

He said: “It may not be an exaggeration to say that the current wave of insecurity in the land is one of the worst in recent history.

“Truth to tell, in the last ten years, the country has never had it this bad in terms of security challenges or insecurity.

“The direct consequence is that Nigeria, that was once perceived as a peaceful place for residence and business by foreigners, is now listed among the dangerous places to visit in the travel advisories of many countries.”

Continuing, Uzodinma listed factors such as ethnicity, religious difference, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty and perennial problem of porous borders as causes and anatomy of insecurity in Nigeria.

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He further posited that poverty is the strongest of the factors causing insecurity in Nigeria since going by available statistics , 51.4% or 98million Nigerians are living in penury with attendant penchant for crimes and criminality.

According to him, that problem is seriously being addressed by President Muhamnadu Buhari led government through series of Social intervention programmes.

“Similar thing is being done in Imo State with the establishment of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition Ministry which had trained about 10 ,000 youths and targeting 200,000 altogether for wealth generation through self empowerment .

He however said that his poverty eradication being undertaken by his government in Imo State is seriously being threatened by natural disaster known as gully erosion.

“As at the last count, Imo has 300 active erosion sites which cuts across 27 local government areas of the State.

“About 100 of them, mainly in Ideato, North, Ideato South, Njaba, Orlu and Owerri West, are deadly by putting many homes and lives in danger of being washed away”, he said.

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