Show commitment to ending insurgency - Wike tasks Buhari

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate commitment to winning the war against insurgency and insecurity.

The governor, who spoke amidst the prevailing insecurity in the country, reiterated the call for State police to boost internal security of different states.

Wike, disclosed this in a statement by his Special Assistant on media, Kelvin Ebiri, after an interview with Channels television.

He opined that no government can provide good governance if it fails to protect life and property.

Wike said: “The issue of security is paramount in governance and when a government cannot protect life and property, then that government has failed. There is no two ways about it. There is no propaganda that can solve the problem.”

Wike mentioned that one of the reasons why insurgency, banditry, cultism and other heinous crimes besetting Nigeria have continued to fester is because FG have failed to admit they lack the capacity to tackle these security challenges bedeviling the country.

Wike said there was nothing wrong with the Federal Government admitting they have obviously failed in the protection of life and property and that they need support, ideas to tackle the prevailing insecurity across the country.

He said it was heart-wrenching to hear the Governor of Niger State, who is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamenting how the Federal Government’s nonchalance to the security challenge in his state paved way for Boko Haram to overrun over 50 communities.

He said: “The President of the country has not shown enough strength to say I am willing to fight this insurgency; I am willing to fight insecurity problem in this country. As a leader, when people see you are willing to do something, I can tell you, you will see that people will come out and give him their best.”

“If you are incapacitated, there is nothing wrong asking for help from people who have the capacity, who have what it takes to solve such problem. You don’t need to shy away because Nigeria is an independent sovereign country and therefore as a President of a country, you don’t need to seek help from outside.”

The governor called for the procurement of requisite equipment that will enable the military and other security agencies to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.

“If you listen to the security men they will tell you they lack equipment, they lack what it takes to fight terrorists or insurgents. They will tell you that, look, we don’t have the equipment,” he said.