The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd) has said that credible intelligence gathering will address alleged insecurity in the state.
Ibas expressed worry that security challenges have negatively impacted economic productivity, reduced government revenue, and deterred investments.
Ibas stated this when the Senior Course 47 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt yesterday.
He charged participants of Senior Course 47, who are on a study tour in the state, to ensure that their reports provide practical solutions to the pressing security challenges facing the nation.
The team is one of nine groups currently on a study tour across selected states in Nigeria. The tour is part of this year’s research on the Nigerian environment as it relates to national security concerns.
The sole administrator claimed that prevailing security threats to life and property necessitated the current administration’s intervention.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika, the sole administrator, urged the participants to ensure that their interactions with security agencies and other stakeholders, as well as data collected, go beyond mere academic exercise and translate into practical, actionable strategies for enhancing security operations.
“It disturbs our utmost conviction that those who provide human capital that fuels insecurity in urban and remote areas include, of course, our rural populace.”
Hence, any study channelled towards harvesting grassroots intelligence is worth embarking on, as internal security without proper feedback mechanisms will be an illusion to be pursued but cannot be attained,” the Administrator stated.
Ibas, in a statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State Government, Hector Igbikiowubo, expressed confidence that the study would contribute to academic scholarship and the broader security framework necessary for a safer and more secure Rivers State.
In his address, the Team Leader and Director of Logistics at AFCSC Jaji, Commodore S. O. Abdularaheen, noted that their findings would be compiled into a research paper for the college with recommendations expected to be adopted by relevant government agencies and organisations for implementation.
The visit underscores Rivers State’s commitment to collaborating with security institutions to develop sustainable solutions to insecurity, fostering a safer and more prosperous society.
