The director-general of the Nigerian Army Resources Centre (NARC), retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab says allowing traditional rulers and local government councils to function optimally will significantly reduce insecurity at the grassroots.

Mr Wahab said this in a paper titled “Security a Collective Responsibility”, presented at the 44th annual general meeting of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) on Saturday in Abuja.

He said solving security challenges would be most effective at the local level.

According to him, government interference in traditional institutions and local councils is weakening their ability to discharge their roles effectively.

Mr Wahab emphasised that the government must consider grassroots involvement to address insecurity because “People know themselves, and so we need to get that clear, and the governors should and must allow local governments, 774 of them, to function and perform effectively.”

He added, “If that is done, it becomes easier for us to get people involved, and you cannot do that without the traditional institutions because they command so much respect within their localities.”

The DG also called for good and inclusive governance and social justice to deter criminality.

He said that impunity also fuels crime as long as people know there won’t be consequences for their actions.

According to him, governance must be inclusive to give every segment of society a sense of belonging.

He called on Nigerians to challenge the status quo, adding that things will be better once there are structures to monitor and punish those who don’t perform their assigned responsibilities.

“So you must take steps to ensure that everybody is involved in security, which is a collective responsibility,” he added.

In a goodwill message, the Alumni Association of Defence College (ANDEC) president, retired Air Cdre Darlington Abdullahi, said the nation’s security challenges required all stakeholders to agree on the best approach.

(NAN)