Governors of South East States have been advised to channel their bogus monthly security votes amounting to billions of naira, towards gainfully engaging the unemployed youths in their respective states.
The Southeast region has in recent times been a hotbed for violence and heightened insecurity, with many people already killed and property destroyed.
Anambra and Imo states are the worst hit by the insecurity, with incidences of killings of security personnel and private citizens recorded almost on a daily basis.
Speaking on Thursday with TNC correspondent after their meeting in Enugu, on the development, the President-General, Ndigbo Unity Forum, NUF, Dede Uzor, challenged the governors to deploy the security votes in providing jobs, adding that when gainfully engaged, the youths will have little or no time for crime.
According to him, the youths which constitute the greater part of the region’s population have no job, suggesting that efforts should be made on how to engage about 5 million youths in the region, with a startup salary of fifty thousand naira (N50.000) each person per month.
“Most of these youths have no source of income, making them vulnerable and prone to be used by dubious political godfathers.
“Governors in the South East zone should channel their bogus and exploitative monthly security votes, amounting to billions of naira in engaging the youth in their respective states.
“Alternately, they can engage one million youths each in projects in their respective states, which should be immediate because of the urgency of the situation.
“One million youths each in each of the 5 Southeast states, will give us 5 million youths on the whole and this will go a long way in reducing the number of youths engaging in crime,” he said.
The group also advised the governors against making utterances that can aggravate the already tensed situation in the region, suggesting that they engage the Federal Government for a political solution to the problem.
According to them, the directive is specifically to Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and his Anambra State counterpart, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, due to the already volatile situation in the two states.
“The governor’s reckless and unguarded statements had led to the renewed killings of some security operatives and burning down government facilities recently”.
“We also want to condemn the despicable killings of unarmed two Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and burning of government property by unknown gunmen.
“However, this escalation of violence could be traced to the unguarded statement about the Monday Sit- at- home, which they said has been abolished and asked Federal Government to deploy more security men in the state to deal with unknown gunmen,” he regretted.
NUF advised that instead, the region’s governor should meet with Aso Rock officials and seek a political solution on how to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other political detainees who have been languishing in respective government security facilities across the country.
They advised that the Federal Government provides compensation to Igbo youths killed and victims including security operatives killed during the ongoing atrocious incidents.
They however said this should come after setting up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, to look into the circumstances and remote cause or causes of the ongoing security challenges with a view to addressing it as soon as possible.
NUF urged Uzodimma and Soludo to adopt such diplomatic strategy as that of elder Statesman, Chief Mbazuruike Amechi and other Igbo leaders, who had interfaced with the president Muhammadu Buhari to seek for the release of the IPOB leader.
The group also called on all leaders in the region to immediately convoke an All-Inclusive South East Security Summit (ASESM) within 14 days, which would involve all the stakeholders, including non-state actors to thoroughly address the ongoing security challenges in the zone as well as restore peace in Ala Igbo.
