Nigerians should promote national identity, not ethnic ties – Don
Nigerians have been urged to promote national identity than ethnic ties as a way to curb conflict and security challenges facing the nation.
Prof Tajudeen Akanji, the Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan, made the call on Friday, in Ibadan, while delivering a lecture with the theme : ‘Peace and Conflict Resolution in an Ethnic-religious Diverse Society’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was held to mark the send-forth /retirement of Mrs Dolapo Dosunmu – the immediate past Director of National Orientation Agency(NOA) in Oyo state.
Akanji admitted that issue of insecurity was not limited to Nigeria alone, saying multi ethnic societies exist virtually in every part of the world, but the different between one society or the other is the ability of a society to have structures with institutions and strategies put in place to be able to address the problems as they arrive.
According to him, these structures have been able to integrate people in a way that they have a common focus.
He asserted that it was the responsibility of every Nigerian to see that the country must not fall.
He submitted that in a society that get themselves together; citizens have been made to understand that what should be the uppermost in the mind of every one “is the survival of the nation they are living; no matter how much people love their ethnic groups.
He further noted “The nation’s structures have so much seperated us to see that we are different from each other despite coexistence of the people from different ethnic groups.
“And as long that notion of I’m different from you continues to be in our mist, we will be in the struggle for so long.”
The don gave instances that when government wants to announce list of commissioner or ministers, people glue to their radio or television, not to know weither the appointees were qualified or expert, but to know weither their kinsmen would be appointed.
He noted that such is part of the things that have made us to remain seperate so long.
On how to address conflicts in the society; the professor identified three dimesions of security management; namely the People, Policy and the Enforcement of the existing laws.
He maintained that security should be the affair of all the people in the society, “not only for security agents”, asserting that the kind of security the society has is determined by the contributions of all and sundry to it.
He added that security operatives are not magic, saying police need intelligence to be able to perform and that such intelligence needed to come from the people.
He stressed that the people themselves have to hold the bull by the horns saying there is no how a security man can protect the people unless people too protect themselves.
On policies/ laws, Akanji tasked government and policy formulators to do the needful on how policies/laws would be more effective and relevant in tackling security challenges.
He noted that the security issue we have nowadays was so sophisticated that “there is no particular agency that can single handedly handle it, except all agencies work together to cooperate, collaborate and coordinate to tackle it.”
He also urged government to ensure that adequate and prompt information about its policies and activities get to the people to avoid misinterpretation of government policies/ activities by the general public.
He added that security management in urban settlement with cultural pluralism and its functional settlement pattern require access to information, this can only be obtain where conventional security agencies work with the local ones, saying
they can become more effective and sources of intelligence.
He stated also that the conventional security agencies too must not see the local ones, as competitors but as those people that will make their work easy because they have more access to local information than the conventional security agencies.
Speaking on enforcement of the existing laws, the don said specific offenders should be punished or sanction for violating the laws.
He noted that every one has laid all the security problems at the doorsteps of governance; “if
absence of violence is a measure of government effectiveness then more attention should be directed towards that.
“However, citizens have to work with government to achieve that, this further underscore the roles of NOA in supporting the government to achieve effectiveness.” Akanji posited.
In their goodwill messages, the wife of the former governor of Oyo state – Mrs Mutiat Ladoja, the current Oyo State Head of Service – Mrs Amidat Agboola and the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo state – Mr Mutiu Agboke, described Dolapo Dosunmu, as an embodiment of excellence.
Agboke said the retired NOA boss stood strong and supported INEC during the 2019 polls.
He urged the people to imbibe spirit of celebrating one another when alive, “not when we are no more”.
Mrs Ladoja said she is tapping from Dosunmu’s experience of wisdom, knowledge and qualities that almighty God had endowed her, adding that Dosunmu is a great asset to whoever knows or work with her.
Mrs Agboola described Dosunmu as a woman who never tired to face challenges, saying she is a good coordinator.
The new NOA boss in Oyo state – Mr Moshood Olaleye, said the immediate past NOA director, is a manager of people who has brought a lot of positive changes to NOA.
The retired NOA boss, expressed gratitude to the management of NOA and everyone that graced the occasion.
She urged the staff of the agency to continue building on the legacy she left behind.
NAN reports that representatives of the Nigerian Army 2nd Division, Police, NSCDC, Immigration and FRSC were among the dignitaries that attended the ceremony.