'Tackle insecurity with grass-roots information' - Forum

A forum organised by a non-governmental organisation, Live Abundantly, has said the rising insecurity level in the country can be curbed if governments and intelligence agencies take advantage of the information available at the community level.

This was the conclusion of the podcast meeting called, ‘Thinking Reimagined,’ organised by the NGO to mark International Youth Day 2021.

The guests present included feminist and communications consultant, Oluwatobi Ayodele; political analyst and human rights activist, Olufunsho Alufoge; and writer, development communications professional and advocate for gender equality, Tawakalit Kareem.

The podcast was anchored by Nifemi Oguntoye, a broadcast journalist at TVC News.

Some of the issues discussed included the migration of Nigerian youths to foreign countries, the increasing poverty levels in Nigeria, the impact of the 2020 #EndSARS protest on the psyche of Nigerian youths, as well as the rising level of insecurity and its impact on Nigerians.

Speaking on the World Bank report indicating that 50 per cent of Nigerian youths are bent on leaving the country, Alufoge said some of the factors responsible were political and economic instability, which forced some Nigerians to go through unsafe channels just to leave the country.

In her speech, Kareem said, “Nigeria has been dysfunctional for a very long time. We had hope, but the system in Nigeria literally forces you back into a cycle.”

On increasing poverty in the country, Alufoge said the lack of opportunities was to blame as only a few were privileged, adding that poverty was not the absence of money but the absence of opportunities.

Responding to a question by our correspondent on the likely solution to the rising insecurity in various parts of the country, Kareem stated, “One of the ways of fighting insecurity in the country is by building community units that defend their own communities and provide information to law enforcement agents. There is a goldmine of information that the government and intelligence agencies are not taking advantage of.”

Ayodele said the #EndSARS protest in 2020 was an eye-opener for her on what youths could achieve.

“I participated in the #EndSARS protest and I think it was one of the highlights of the year 2020 for me. That was a moment of awakening for Nigerian youths because we arose with one voice demanding action, calling out government stakeholders and demanding justice for victims of police brutality,” she said.

Also, Ayodele noted that crises in the country affected mainly women and girls.

“Farmers and local business owners are scared to carry out their businesses. This is one of the major reasons why youths have decided to leave the country,” Ayodele said.