By Maryam Zakari
The convener of a new group of concerned eminent Northern Nigerians, Pastor John Dara, has said that one of the objectives of the group is to bring an end to insecurity that has ravaged the northern region of the country lately.
Pastor Dara, who is a former presidential aspirant under the platform of National Transformation Party (NTP) in the 2011 election, disclosed this on Liberty TV programme “Dialogue” yesterday, stated that neglect of the education sector over the years is largely responsible for the insecurity.
According to him, other reasons for the recent spike in insecurity across the region include poverty, joblessness as well as the promotion of animosity. However, he said the situation can be reduced by taking short-term measures like involving religious and traditional leaders, but he added that there must also be a long-term plan to stop this circle of violence.
He said his group, which according to him, transcends religious and tribal coloration, is working towards finding creative ways to solve the problem by engaging with all stakeholders with a view to rectifying the underlying causes of these problems.
“The Boko Haram insurgency came as a result of injustice; there is too much injustice in the land. There are so many people in police cells for frivolous reasons”, he declared, adding that such kinds of incidences only end up hardening our youths.
The group, he said, “is trying to put our house in order, is moved by the rising spate of state of insecurity in the North, which is as a result of other failings by those in authority as well as the masses”.
“For example, considering the number of out-of-school children, if those children remain without education and they grow up and become young adults without jobs, it goes without saying that they definitely will take to crime; and that is what we are seeing today”.
“We have a system which engenders mass poverty, until all these are addressed it will be difficult to end insecurity”, he emphasised.
