By Barnabas Esiet.
Dr. Oluwasegun Alade Musa, a seasoned maritime expert, transport planner, and security consultant, has expressed his concerns about the lack of political will to address insecurity in Nigeria.
As the Group MD of Widescope Group of Companies and CEO of Global Transport Policy, Dr. Musa shared his thoughts on the matter during a recent meeting with the new executives of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos.
He emphasized that Nigeria has a biometric system in place, but its effectiveness is hindered by the fact that not everyone has been captured in the database.
Dr. Musa faulted the process of collecting biometric data in Nigeria, noting that it is often frustrated by ulterior motives, with some individuals driven by the desire to accumulate wealth rather than ensure national security.
He identified government’s lacks of the political will to address insecurity in the country describing this as a significant challenge.
In his words “If government really want to check insecurity there are so many measures to be taken, number one, a transparent recruitment system: the current process of recruitment of officers into government institutions is very corrupt and faulty.
To address the issue of insecurity, Dr. Musa advocated for a more effective implementation of policies. He stressed the need for government to take the issue of insecurity seriously and recognise it as a major challenge.
” I know that our government is not really serious about security I must confess to you, they are not serious they don’t see insecurity as a big challenge.
“When government start seeing insecurity as a big challenge the first thing you will notice is that the DSS will concentrate on their primary responsibility which is to be within every local confine to notice anything that happens in the next door immediately.
“That is what the DSS is meant for they are not supposed be be enmershed in politics. They are non political organisation. Currently they are dead, their performance is down.” Dr Musa said.
He also underscored the importance of a transparent recruitment processes, citing that the current system is faulty and often compromised by dubious individuals sponsoring candidates with questionable characters.
“The reason these platforms like the biometric system have often been sabotaged is that many of those who superintend over them have ulterior motives. They’re basically driven by the motive to amas wealth, to make money.”
“In every recruitment be it Customs, Police and so on, you realize that dubious people will sponsor candidates of questionable characters.
“Kidnappers will bring candidates, armed robbers will do same , the traditional rulers, retired armed forces officers, politicians and all others will also bring their candidates and at the end you’ll realise that the people that will be there on merit will be less than five percent and so after their training their loyalty lies with those who recommended them.” He said.
As a renowned expert in his field, Dr. Musa’s concerns and recommendations warrant serious consideration from the government and relevant stakeholders.
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