Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday decried the unmitigated insecurity crisis in Nigeria, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to recall retired service men and women to wage a total war on terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, and others.
The former Vice President in a statement on Tuesday lamented that the security situation in Nigeria is deteriorating rapidly, noting that ordinary Nigerians are living in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones; he noted that nowhere seems to be safe. According to Atiku, “farms, markets, schools, homes, mosques, churches, and urban areas are all affected.”
The former Vice President raised an alarm that terrorists are spreading their areas of operation beyond the northeast, into far flung areas as far as Niger State in the North-Central. That is merely hours from our Federal Capital, he noted.
Atiku declared: “now is the time for decisive leadership and I call on the Federal Government to consider recalling all ex-servicemen and women, who are willing to return to service, and take the fight to the insurgents, until they are rolled back and defeated.”
Atiku stated: “as a former vice chairman of the National Security Council, I am aware that Nigeria has a sizeable population of military veterans, who are alive, and were trained locally and internationally, and it serves no purpose to allow these valuable national assets lie fallow when there is an existential threat to our nation.”
The former Vice President, therefore, declared: “Call them up. Immediately. Mobilise them to the field. The time has come for us to put in all our effort and stamp out this menace from our nation.
“The men and women of Nigeria’s armed forces, whether serving or retired, who restored peace to Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Príncipe can, and should be used to do the same in the motherland.
“But they need arms and ammunition. It is incumbent on the federal government to develop a more efficient means of sourcing for weapons and delivering them to the troops at the battlefront.”
Atiku protested that, “a situation where terrorists and criminals are better armed than our troops on the battlefront is intolerable.”
He, therefore, advocated: “We need to urgently improve the conditions of service of the men and women of our armed forces. And not just the government.
“The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, working in concert with primary mortgage institutions, ought to offer the men and women of our armed forces special concessionary mortgage loans so they can own homes.
“The private sector should also be encouraged to offer discounted services to them in appreciation of their services.”
He maintained that “There is no sacrifice greater than to lay down your life for the motherland.”
Atiku was of the view that when the military is properly rewarded, they will fight more valiantly and gallantly.
“A nation that rewards courage is one that avoids outrage,” Atiku declared.
The statement of Atiku acquainted President Buhari that solutions to the uncontrolled insecurity in the country could be found outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government. This is where the populist suggestions for a national security summit have become germane.