Insecurity: It’s Time to Fix What Went Wrong, Says Masari

Emmanuel Addeh

Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Masari, yesterday ruminated over the growing insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria, noting that it is shocking that the region which has so much in common has decided to turn against one another.

Speaking in Kaduna during the inauguration of the upgraded Arewa House Library sponsored by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, Masari argued that the north needs more of such institutions to encourage the region’s unity.

He maintained that the problem of banditry would probably have been minimised if more of such institutions existed and urged the people of the region not to leave the challenge of insecurity to the government alone, saying that it is a collective task.

“For us as northerners, we have nothing that binds us today like institutions as this. Without this foundation, we won’t be where we are today and if we had built these institutions as they should, maybe the level of banditry and insecurity will have been at the barest minimum,” he said.

While stating that it wasn’t time to engage in any blame game, the governor said that there should be collective responsibility in resolving the insecurity in the region, since, according to him, the bandits belong to the communities and states, especially given that banditry did not exist 30 to 40 years ago.

Masari said: “We used to have everything in common but now we are enemies of each other. What surprises me is that the banditry in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, parts of Kaduna State and Niger State, are people who share a lot in common and they just woke up and started committing these crimes.

“We should ask ourselves what really went wrong. If we have not gone wrong, what is happening now won’t happen because what we are witnessing in the northwestern states is not unorganised banditry. They are operating under one entity, so we should find out what went wrong, as it is not the responsibility of government officials alone.”

Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, described the upgraded institution as very important to every northerner and lauded Tinubu who took it upon himself to renovate the library.

Describing the former governor as a dogged fighter and one who breathes democracy, the TETFund chairman said the former Lagos State governor’s contribution to the enthronement of democracy cannot be overlooked and urged prominent Nigerians, especially of northern extraction to borrow a leaf from the APC leader.

Also speaking, Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Femi Hamzat, underscored the importance of education and appreciated Tinubu for the gesture.