Labour Party stalwart and frontline Governorship hopeful in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo, has admonished Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to pay more attention and take positive action towards tackling the insecurity challenges bedeviling the State.
Stating that insecurity has become “our number 1 problem” in Anambra, Ozigbo said in his latest edition of the Wake Up Series that “it is utterly unacceptable that the lives of Ndi Anambra are not being secured, as this is the primary role of the government according to Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that ‘Security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.’”
The frontline Governorship candidate reminded Governor Soludo of the pledges he made in his “Contract With Anambra People” governing documents, regretting that perhaps, the Governor “didn’t understand the enormity of the primary role of security in accomplishing all other welfare needs of the people.”
Accusing Soludo of breaking his “Contract With Anambra People” especially on security, the former President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Transcorp Plc reminded the Governor that Anambra is “still bedeviled with “Kidnapping for ransom, Banditry, Farmers-Herders Clashes, Cult and drug related criminality and Communal Disputes” which he promised to deal with head-on. Indeed, our Governor has fallen short squarely. He has clearly broken the contract with Anambra people which are encapsulated in his governing documents – Anambra Vision 2070—a 50-Year Development Plan, The Soludo Solution: and “The Transition Committee (Combined) Report.”
“Looking at his performance indices on his personally assigned goals, the Governor has been very tall in rhetoric and very short in execution. In some cases, he is the direct cause of the disorder. What the Governor has failed to realize is that when it comes to issues of security, certain truths are better left off the public domain.
“What is required are firm, resolute and sustainable decisions and actions executed outside public glare but which enhance the wellbeing of the people. It is becoming crystal clear that there is no Solution by Soludo to the issue of insecurity in Anambra State. It is either he thinks words alone would make insecurity go away or he doesn’t think it deserves enough attention, which is not good enough for Ndi Anambra.”
Urging the Governor to give hope to the people of Anambra “in words and in deeds,” Ozigbo tasked him “to build hope. You must earn the trust of the people. The Governor should speak less and do more, and he should be empathetic, genuine and humble himself and come to the level of Ndi Anambra.
The Labour Party chieftain charged Soludo to engage the private sector more and better towards fostering “a sense of purpose and belonging, reducing the motivation for criminal behavior born out of desperation. Clearly, lack of good governance is a key contributor to criminality.
“With this, it is possible to demarcate between Ndi Anambra that turned to crime out of hopelessness and outright criminals weaned into criminality. We will then take the battle to their camps, hideouts or abode.”
On relationship with defence and security agencies, Ozigbo noted that it is time for the Governor “to mobilize the joint efforts of the executing agencies – Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security (DSS), Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Vigilante Services.
“Through these agencies, we must pursue and cement the ideals of community policing as it is very dear to my heart as a major plank of solving the security challenges that Anambra State faces. This is because for internal security to be strengthened and made to work for Ndi Anambra, participation of the people at community levels is paramount, after all, kidnappings, agitations, lawlessness and other criminalities occur at these levels.
“This ensures that everyone participates in the process of protecting themselves, securing their own lives and the lives of people in their community. The current reactive posture must give way to a bold proactive stance that relies on more reliable information and actionable real-time intelligence for crime prevention.
“There should be training and retraining of members of the AVS including other Security Services in this direction, for effective discharge of their duties. The security architecture of Anambra State must be made to work for Ndi Anambra and not exist for rhetoric sake.”
Moreover, Ozigbo noted, Anambra must embrace “the imperative of a regional approach to tackling the insecurity in the State. It is the failure to work together and adopt a common approach that has emboldened criminal elements to make border communities especially those with Imo State most insecure. Criminals being chased end up moving in and out of our State. This is unacceptable. This shouldn’t be. Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti is succeeding with this approach and it must work in Anambra.”