Awka – A two-time governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has hit back at state governors for not assuming responsibility by rising to the challenge of addressing insecurity in their various states.
Uzor-Kalu expressed the view on Thursday in Awka, after he inspected facilities at Stanel World, a business consortium established in Awka, Anambra State Capital by a youth entrepreneur, Chief Stanley Uzochukwu.
Recently, the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Orthom had accused President Muhammadu Buhari of shielding the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association leadership who he accused of perpetrating the numerous killings of farmers in his state.
Across Nigeria, issues of banditry, herders/farmers clash, kidnapping and armed robbery have been rife, with many lives lost to the situation, even as state governors appear to be helpless, seeking the intervention of the Federal Government.
But Kalu who fielded questions from TNC correspondent on the security situation, said the governors have not shown enough commitment towards fulfilling their responsibility as the chief security officers of their various states.
According to him, it is a sign of dereliction of duty on the part of the governors, to always blame the President for the security challenges in their respective states instead of facing the problem.
“When I came in as governor of Abia State in 1999, cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and killings were on an all-time high. I set up a security outfit through which I was able to flush out criminals from the state. There was so much efficiency in the way the security outfit operated that many other states borrowed our arrangement and were able to deal with the security situation then which was getting out of hand. Anambra State during the administration of Chinwoke Mbadinuju was one of those governors who invited the Bakkassi Boys to deal with the situation here then,” he noted
Kalu, who is the Senator representing Abia North in the National Assembly, advised the state governors to liaise with the traditional rulers, youth leaders and security agencies, to evolve a working strategy for the resolution of the security issues in their domains
“As a governor, you cannot be crying every time to the president to help you solve a problem within your locality that you are already equipped to solve by virtue of the powers you wield as the chief executive of the state. Governors must gather intelligence through constant interaction with community heads and members. Criminals live among the people and they are known. When the governor is in good terms with the people, they show him the criminals and he deals with them once and for all. But when a governor is not doing well, he will continue to wallow in ignorance and critical information needed for good governance will continue to elude him,” the former governor opined.
On his visit to Anambra State, Kalu said it was to see the efforts of Chief Uzochukwu towards youths entrepreneurship and empowerment, describing him as a man who will do well if given an opportunity in politics.
“What I have seen here today is amazing and it is gratifying to know that the Southeast region has young men like this who are going to take over from us in the area of commerce. This is a multi-billion naira investment with prospects for massive job creation. Most amazing is his passion for youth development and I sincerely wish to appreciate Chief Uzochukwu for this investment he has brought home to the Southeast region,” Kalu noted.
