The President/CEO of Al-Mustapha Peace, Unity and Development Initiative (APUDI), Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd.), has emphasised on the need to give room for peace to reign in the country, and why Nigerians need to be brought out of the shackles of misery.

Al-Mustaph, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, spoke on Friday, in Abuja, at the inauguration ceremony of the Al-Mustapha Peace Institute (APIS) in collaboration with the University of Abuja. He explained that the institute was conceived with the goal of sustaining peace in the country.

According to Al-Mustapha, “I was moved to establish APIS by the misery Nigerians had been subjected to, as a result of insurgency after my release from prison in 2013.

“The ambition of the institute is to serve the country and assist the government to install sustainable peace in the country.

“Moreover, the courses offered by APIS are not such that are available in Nigeria universities, thus the institute was set up to bridge the gap.

“The social vices that are bedeviling the country will be a thing of the past as soon as APIS gain stride.”

He explained further that APUDI is a training, consulting research, reorientation and rehabilitation centre of Al-Mustapha Peace, Unity and Development Initiative (APUDI).

Also speaking at the event, leader of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Faseun, in his remarks, spoke about the vice in the Nigerian Police Force, noting that the Police are poorly motivated, especially with the population of over 10,000 citizens to one police officer.

He admitted that personnel of the Nigeria Police Force are only trained to kill Nigerians through extra-judicial killings and Nigerians should not expect them to perform magic in instilling peace in the country.

Faseun stated that aside the fact that officers and men of the force are poorly motivated and overstretched; they are poorly trained to handle arms and ammunition in the discharge of their duties of promoting peace and security.

Faseun, who is Chairman, Governing Council of APUDI and APIS, averred that peace is an essential ingredient for growth across all sectors of society. He said: “In Nigeria where peace is a rare commodity, we have 10,000 Nigerians to one police officer, whereas the nation state of Israel has 300 people to a police man.

“Police personnel are recruited and trained for only six months, and then they are armed with AK 47 and unleashed on the public.

“The future of Nigeria depends on how fast we can instill sustainable peace in the country.”

Speaking at the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja, Prof. Michael Adikwu said the affiliation of APIS to the varsity was timely due to the uniqueness of the former's academic programme.

Also speaking, the former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau who was the Chairman of the Occasion, commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the policing of the highway along Sokoto-Zaria-Abuja axis and urged the police Chief to extend this to the other regions of the country so as to rid the entire nation of the vices recorded on the highways and to avoid being labeled to be performing selective policing.

•Photo shows retired Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.

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