Speakers at the just concluded Leadership Lecture Series in honour of late Maitama Sule, have attributed the insecurity bedevilling the nation to the over 2,000 unmanned porous land borders across the country.
The speakers include the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega who has in recent times been a loud voice in the criticism against government over poor leadership, Dr Muttaqha Darma, Special Adviser to Katsina State Governor on security matters, Ibrahim Katsina and Dr Aminu Idris who presented a paper during the lectures organized by the Students’ Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups, held at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina.
The lecture series had as its theme: The Political and socio-economic consequences of border porosity in Northern Nigeria.
At the lecture series, the question about the porous nature of the nation’s border was brought to the fore.
The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, attributed the current state of the nation’s insecurity to the thousands of unmanned porous illegal routes.
He also faulted the government for the increase in the insurgency, the lack of purposeful leadership and the disconnection of the youths from the scheme of leadership in the country.
The guest lecturer at the event, Dr Muttaqha Darma, hinted that the insecurity in the Northern region is due to insufficient resources and poor management of the border areas, which has increased over the years to about 3,125 as of 2018.
The Special Adviser to Katsina State Governor on Security Matters, Ibrahim Katsina, advocated for the collapsing of the borders in the affected countries, to make the management effective in synergy.
Similarly, a paper presenter at the lecture series, Dr Aminu Idris, called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency, digitize border security management, use border surveillance equipment, as well as increase the number of border security personnel, who are grossly inadequate.
In the end, the speakers were of the view that the Federal and State Governments should identify circumstances that led to systemic factors causing insecurity, review the border policy of the nation, ensure effective coordination of border security agencies and suggested that the border management be moved to the office of the National Security Adviser, rather than remain under the ministry of interior.
