Good governance, best method to tackling insecurity – Dambazau
A former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, says certain issues of security require good governance to solve.
Dambazau stated this at the opening of a 3-day seminar on leadership in national security (Course 5/2022) of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) on Monday in Abuja.
The seminar, organized in collaboration with Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC), has participants drawn from the military, other security agencies, and relevant stakeholders.
Dambazau said that every nation depends on its security, adding that national security is about the security of the nation and everything in it.
According to him, national security is not just about the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a state but also about the well-being and security of the people.
"It is not every security issue that we can solve with the use of force." There are certain issues of security that require just the application of conflict resolution mechanisms.
"There are certain issues of security that require just good governance, like the issues of health, education, environment, and so on, to tackle."
"So, once you get some of these issues right, you are bound to reduce violence within society."
"You are bound to reduce criminality, violence, and so on and so forth," he said.
The former army chief also said that civilians had a lot of roles to play in national security, adding thatborder security was also paramount in addressing national security.
He called for the strengthening of all government institutions to be able to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
He urged participants to show commitment to the course with a view to proposing solutions to some of the security problems being confronted by the nation.
The Director General of the Center, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, said the course was designed with the belief that solutions to Nigeria's security problems would only come from within the Nigerian environment.
Wahab said there was a need for a serious level of collaboration, cooperation, and communication between security agencies to be able to understand each other.
He challenged the participants to create networks among themselves to be able to relate to and communicate with others.
Wahab said that tackling insecurity also required the collaboration of people at the grassroots.
"You must find a way of relating to the average person on the street." That way, information, intelligence, and a definite aspect of what is happening can be given to you with that information.
"Without intelligence from the rural community, from the local people, you can't do anything, and that is one of the things we are emphasizing," he said.
