A national think-tank, Gravitas Group for Good Governance (GGGG), has called on state governors of the South and Benue to summon courage and speak out boldly on tackling the menace of insecurity that is about to sniff life out of their citizens.

The group specifically called on governors of Yoruba nation, the Ijaw nation, the Igbo nation as well as the Middle Belt in particular and indeed all the entire 34 states that have kept mute to speak out.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Convener, Chief Tola Adeniyi, the group said the governors should declare their stand and insist on the immediate restructuring of the security architecture, immediate establishment of state and local government police and more urgently the immediate non-negotiable mass evacuation of herdsmen from Forest Reserves and from all lands forcefully occupied.

Giving background to this call, the statement noted that “there were two significant public pronouncements from usually unusual quarters at the weekend, one through a press interview and the other via Channels TV interview.

“The two thought-provoking pronouncements addressed very pertinent matters of burning national interest which are critical to the corporate survival of Nigeria as a country, thus gaining the attention of the group.”

The statement noted: “Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, leader of the most populous state in northern Nigeria, threw the first salvo. He stoutly called for the outright ban of movement of cattle from north to other parts of the country.

“He was quoted as saying that there should be a law that will ban, otherwise we cannot control the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers and cannot control the cattle rustling which is affecting us greatly.”

The second pronouncement, according to the group, came from Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba state. He also spoke boldly on the imperative of State and Local Government Police. He is also worth quoting verbatim:

“Unless we break down the strata of security agencies, particularly the police, there can never be security in this country. There must be, I insist, state police; there must be local government police. The Federal Government alone cannot handle this security. It has shown that they have failed and failed woefully.

“Where we copied our constitution is America. America has federal police, state police, and local government police. And when an issue is bigger than what the state and local government police can handle, and then the Military comes in.

“But ours here, military is the first resort, because we have failed woefully.”

The statement further affirmed: “These are commendable statesmanlike statements that should be issuing from Nigerian leaders who are seriously worried about the plight of their people and the obvious decent into the abyss. “The two governors are highly commended for their forthright statesmanship while kudos is given to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for lending his huge voice and experience, in his recent interview with Toyin Falola to the subjects under reference.

“Gravitas Group challenges the governors of the states south of Rivers Niger and Benue to summon courage and speak out boldly on tackling the menace of insecurity that is about to snuff life out of their constituencies.

“Governors of Yoruba nation, the Ijaw nation, the Igbo nation as well as the Middle Belt in particular and indeed all the entire 34 states that have kept mute should speak out.

“The Senate President and the Speaker House of Representatives and all elected and selected officials throughout the country should commence immediate action. They should declare their stand and insist on the immediate restructuring of security architecture, immediate establishment of state and local government police and more urgently the immediate non-negotiable mass evacuation of herdsmen from Forest Reserves and from all lands forcefully occupied.

“Animal husbandry and all forms of agriculture and farming are personal investments and businesses like carpentry, manufacturing etc etc. Cruel exploitation of school-age boys sent trekking several miles day and night and living in pitiable inhuman conditions must stop. Ganduje and Ishaku have spoken,” the group said, adding, “tyrannical dictatorship can only thrive where men have lost their balls.”

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