By Adeola Badru
Immediate-past Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has called on the Federal and state governments to address governance and socio-economic challenges as part of efforts to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.
Egbetokun said the country needed to move beyond the deployment of security personnel and weapons and address conditions that could make vulnerable citizens susceptible to criminality and extremist ideologies.
He spoke on Tuesday while delivering the keynote address at the 20th International Conference and General Assembly of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP), held at Lead City University, Ibadan.
The conference has as its theme, “Security Governance and Global Dynamics.”
Egbetokun said, “There is no military solution to a governance problem,” stressing the need for a security strategy centred on the welfare and everyday needs of citizens.
He said Nigeria’s security strategy should encompass food, employment, healthcare and school security, among other areas.
“A hungry, unemployed youth is a recruitment base for any extremist ideology. Policing poverty with bullets is a losing strategy,” he said.
The former police chief said the concept of security should extend beyond the protection of territorial boundaries and physical assets to include the well-being, dignity and economic security of citizens.
“For a family, security means having food. It means being able to live without fear. It means access to healthcare. It means employment and economic opportunity.
“It means protection from violence. It means knowing that institutions will treat citizens fairly,” he said.
Egbetokun said Nigeria’s challenge was not necessarily a lack of knowledge about the threats confronting the country but the capacity of institutions to respond collectively and effectively.
“Perhaps the greatest challenge we face is not the absence of knowledge. We know many of the risks.
“The problem is the governance gap between the emergence of threats and our ability to respond collectively,” he said.
He called for reforms to strengthen the governance of security, rather than focusing primarily on increasing investment in security equipment.
“We must reform the governance of security, not just the equipment of security. I led the Nigeria Police Force. I know the dedication of our officers. But I also know the structural deficits,” he said.
Egbetokun also advocated a constitutionally defined multi-level policing structure involving federal, state and community authorities.
“We need to unbundle policing. A single federal police structure for 230 million people is ungovernable. We need a constitutionally defined multi-level policing system, federal, state, and community, with clear rules of engagement, funding, and accountability,” he said.
He, however, cautioned that any devolution of policing powers to states and local communities should be accompanied by clearly defined responsibilities and appropriate safeguards.
“We must, however, approach devolution of policing powers to the states and local communities with caution. Security governance means clarity of roles,” he added.
Speaking at the conference, the President of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Prof. Benjamin Aluko, said the international system was facing growing uncertainty, with protracted conflicts, ethno-religious tensions, extremism and state fragility becoming increasingly prominent.
He said declining capacity of critical state and international institutions had become a significant feature of contemporary society, making security governance central to efforts to promote peace, justice, human rights, development and social order.
“The international system is experiencing unprecedented levels of uncertainty, protracted violent conflicts, ethno-religious tensions, extremism in its diverse dimensions, state fragility and rapidly declining capacity of critical state and international institutions have become defining features of human existence,” Aluko said.
He added that security governance had consequently become central to debates on promoting peace, justice, human rights, development and social order globally.
Declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor of Lead City University and host of the conference, Prof. Kabiru Adeyemo, also called for a people-centred approach to security and governance.
Adeyemo said security should not be viewed solely as the protection of territorial borders but should also encompass access to justice, trust in institutions, economic opportunities and social inclusion.
“Security is not merely the protection of territorial borders. Security is about people. It is about access to justice. It is about trust in institutions. It is about economic opportunities.
“It is about social inclusion. It is about ensuring that citizens can pursue their aspirations without fear,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said weak governance, lack of justice and declining public confidence in institutions could contribute to instability, while accountable and inclusive governance could strengthen peace and social cohesion.
“Where governance is weak, insecurity thrives. Where justice is absent, conflict grows. Where citizens lose confidence in institutions, instability becomes inevitable.
“Conversely, where governance is accountable, inclusive and responsive, peace flourishes. The challenges confronting Nigeria and Africa therefore demand a broader understanding of security, one that integrates governance, development, human rights, social cohesion and environmental sustainability,” he said.
Adeyemo reaffirmed Lead City University’s commitment to peace education, good governance and national development, saying universities had a role to play beyond conventional academic training.
He said the institution was committed to producing graduates who could contribute to social transformation, problem-solving, peacebuilding and ethical leadership.
The post Egbetokun: Governance reforms, not bullets, needed to tackle insecurity appeared first on Vanguard News.