Securex: If We Don’t Stop These Security Threats Now, Our Future is Gone, Say Experts
As a practical demonstration of its seriousness to curb the security challenges facing Nigeria presently, security experts in the country have charged the federal government to strengthen as well as improve on the cooperation on security threats between Nigerians (stakeholders) and the government, adding that: “If we don’t curb these security threats now, they will not only swallow us, they will extinct the future of our county.” Syria as example!
Also, these security-savvy individuals decried the seeming low security awareness and nonchalance among the people on biting security matters, saying security in the country would improve if all hands are on deck to fight the scourge.
These were disclosed at the just-concluded largest commercial, homeland and cyber security exhibition and conference (Securex) in West Africa held in Lagos where world class security equipment were assembled and displayed.
At the exhibition, the General Officer Commanding of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. General I.H Edet, said the Nigerian government and its people must find a way to nip the security crises in the bud, adding that security of lives and property is the responsibility of all Nigerian irrespective of the level of involvement in Government affairs.
He noted that since the forum was to avail the opportunity to discuss the way forward and harness security matters in Nigeria, “we need to assess many way to tackle this security challenges. We must build the capacity to manage security matters for all the sectors of the economy-individual and corporate security.”
Edet condemned what he described as non-chalant attitude towards security matters in the country, stating that the guiding principle of security is the cooperation between the government and the people (stakeholders).
In his remark, the Chairman of ASIS Protection Plus Service Limited, Ubong King, who sited unemployment among the youths as a major security threat in the country, stated that transnational crime is destabilising the maritime sector of the costal countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
King, who was among the numerous speakers, noted that it dreadful to project the future going by the current insecurity situation in the country, asking: “If 68 million Nigerian youths don’t have jobs, going by the way the economy is wobbling, what will happen in the next 20 year? Boko Haram crises will be nothing compare to that if nothing is done.
“So, instead of our leaders wrestling themselves over who gets what and non-issues in the National Assembly, helpful and people-oriented policies should be pursued to salvage our security problem as well as avoid this imminent disaster starring us in the face.”
Describing the security threat as a ‘smoke’, the security expert asked, where is the next smoke coming from? Which he said the government of the day was supposed to detect where the next threat is emanating from, and curb it before it gets out of hand, adding that “the destruction and security threats taking place in different parts of the country i.e Fulani herdsmen, farmers crises, Boko Haram terrorism, incessant kidnapping and robbery, will not only affect us now, it will extinct the hopes of our children unborn if nothing is done to check it.
George Pearson, Regional Director, of the exhibition organiser, Afrocet Monogomery West Africa, said the exhibition is the biggest collection of security providers and manufacturers coming to Nigeria to showcase the latest technology and integrated security solutions as well as meet the chief security officers and advisers of local and regional companies in Nigeria. “So essentially, it is to promote new security technology and make business stay safe in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, It is a big task to make the country peaceful, but this exhibition will help enhance the services of the Nigerian security agencies-Army, Police, DSS, among others-and eventually help keep the people safe, so yes, it will of enormous importance to the country’s efforts against insecurity. Hopefully, what we are doing is to bring in new technology for the people whose job is to keep the Nigerian people safe.”
On how effective the various security equipment displayed at the exhibition are, Pearson said there are the top and world class security tools to fight insecurity, adding: “These are up-to-date security technology in the world.”
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