Sam Amadi, other experts speak on terrorism in Nigeria, Africa, proffer solutions
As insecurity in the African region, particularly in Nigeria continues to draw concerns from different quarters, a renowned political analyst, and the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (TASSPT), Dr. Sam Amadi, among other experts, have expressed serious concerns and offered solutions to this protracted issue.
This, they called for proactive measures to tackle terrorism in the West African sub-region during a policy dialogue organized by the school in Abuja on Thursday, June 19.
Source: Original
With the theme of the dialogue as: “Appraising the success of counter-terrorism measures in the defense of democracy in West Africa”, the event brought together a gathering aimed to raise awareness, share insights, and propose effective solutions to combat the growing threat.
Speaking Amadi noted that although several counter-terrorism efforts were in place at different levels, terrorism activities seem to be spreading across the sub-region
Amadi emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach, stressing that “terrorism is a complex phenomenon that requires a multifaceted strategy.”
He highlighted the importance of addressing the root causes of terrorism, such as poverty, political instability, and social marginalization.
He stressed the need to pay more attention to insecurity due to its impact on livelihood and democracy.
He said: “There are a lot of counter-terrorism measures at the level of states, national, regional and continental levels. The Africa Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) are equally involved, yet they have not been very effective.
“There is the need for the government to be proactive, engage stakeholders and develop capacity for persuasion and augmentation.
“Government needs to develop a working state that has the capacity to aggregate ideas and commit citizens to a pursuit of the public good.”
Amadi also emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to pay attention to aggrieved groups within the country so that they would not be recruited by terrorists within the region.
He called on the government to look beyond the use of force and apply the use of non- kinetic measures to tackle the menace of insecurity, terrorism and other agitations.
“If we can develop more capability to reinforce kinetic force with the capacity of the state to be more persuasive and efficient, terrorism and insecurity crisis in Africa will reduce
“Government needs to do more, not just to police, but to be analytic and get the experts to sit together from time to time to examine, review, develop and deploy more effective strategies to address the problem of insecurity,” he said.
During the discussions, the convener, Geo-politics Series, Mr Senator Iroegbu, advised the authorities within West Africa to look beyond deployment of military to tackle insecurity.
Iroegbu also advised governments at all levels to prioritize good governance, credible electoral process, inclusivity and ease of doing business in addressing insecurity.
This, according to him, is due to the strong link among security, democracy and development.
“When there is high crime in any society and people are available to be recruited by criminal elements, by terrorist organisations, then it becomes more difficult for states to deal with such problems.
“This is what is happening in the Sahel region, which now has turned into the headquarters of terrorism,’’ he said.
On his part, Mr Ayolande Fagbemi, former Director, Centre for Peace Building and Socio-Economic Resources Development (CePSER), said that the sustenance of democracy in West Africa was being increasingly threatened due to rising insecurity.
Fagbemi explained that democracy was threatened with intra-class contestation for state capture assuming burning dimensions and abusive use of primordial considerations.
He called for the strengthening of protective law enforcement, security arrangements, and criminal justice systems that did not favour criminals and perpetrators of criminal acts.
On his part, Mr Ayolande Fagbemi, former Director, Centre for Peace Building and Socio-Economic Resources Development (CePSER), said that the sustenance of democracy in West Africa was being increasingly threatened due to rising insecurity.
Fagbemi explained that democracy was threatened with intra-class contestation for state capture assuming burning dimensions and abusive use of primordial considerations.
He called for the strengthening of protective law enforcement, security arrangements, and criminal justice systems that did not favour criminals and perpetrators of criminal acts.
Source: Legit.ng
