*As varsity don links rising poverty level to insecurity effect
By OUR REPORTER
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has called for increased community representatives’ involvement in solving the lingering security challenges facing Nigeria.
Sultan Abubakar, who was represented by Dr Jabbi Kilgore, the District Head of Kingori, made the call during a Town Hall meeting organised by the Kukah Centre for Peace in collaboration with Global Right, an NGO, in Sokoto on Tuesday.
The Sultan said that bad governance, injustice and inequality were some factors contributing to insecurity.
He enjoined leaders at all levels to be fair in dealing with their subjects and know that they would give an account of their stewardship after leaving this world.
In his keynote address, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev Fr Mathew Hassan Kukah, identified religious intolerance, fanaticism and injustice as some of the other factors responsible for insecurity in the country.
He urged stakeholders at the meeting to come together to form a common front in curbing the menace, saying insecurity know no religion.
Earlier, Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry for Religious Affairs, Abubakar Torankawa, rreiterated the commitment of the government to partner with groups and association in promoting peaceful coexistence in the state.
The Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Kaigama, also emphasised on the need for public support to community policing drives initiated by the Nigerian Police Force.
Kaigama said the police would continue to partner with the Nigerian Army and other sister security agencies in tackling insecurity in the country.
In his presentation, Professor Tukur Baba, who is the Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at Federal University Birnin Kebbi, dwelled on factors that promoted insecurity from pre-independece.
Baba advised authorities to change the Land Use Act, taxations and consider global, regional, national and community approaches to holistically deal with the problems of insecurity.
He described the assessment by the National Bureau of Statics (NBS) revealing the poverty index as glaring.
”This is the effect of insecurity, maladministration and poor people attitude in the northwest,” he said.
Also, the Executive Secretary of Zaki’s GEM Foundation and Permanent Secretary Sokoto state Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Dr Nafisa Zaki and A’isha Dantsoho, called authorities to promote gender equitable norms, inclusiveness and budgeting in all dealings.
The leader of community dialogue committee and District Head of Gagi, Sani Umar-Jabbi, presented a graphic community involvement drives to solve religious misconceptions, gender-based violence and other associated society ills.
Umar-Jabbi solicited for more support in recognition of committee achievements in Sokoto state stressing that violence is rooted in poverty and ignorance while it’s effect affects everyone irrespective of religious beliefs, ethnicity and political groups.
