Former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator AbdulAziz Yari, has cautioned political parties against using insecurity as a campaign tool to win the votes of Nigerians, saying the issue of insecurity should be removed from partisan politics and treated as a national challenge requiring collective efforts to find lasting solutions.

Yari said this when he spoke as the Chairman at the 8th Edition of Blueprint Newspaper’s Lecture Impact Series and Award , themed: Security Challenge and Integrity of 2027 Election.

He said: “As I said on this occasion, I have fought many battles. Let us encourage all political parties to understand that insecurity is not something to be traded with for the purpose of winning the hearts of citizens. The citizens are aware that we are in trouble. From Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan to Buhari and where we are today, we need to be fair and just.

“What we need is for all of us to come together and agree that we do not have any other country than Nigeria. Wherever we live, wherever we go and wherever we stay, the only country of which we are citizens is Nigeria.

“If we agree with that, then all our hands must be on deck. Security is not a problem only for the President of Nigeria. It is not only the responsibility of the Minister of Defence, the Army, the Police, the DSS or any other security agency. It is our collective problem.”

Speaking about his experience when he was the was the governor of Zamfara State from 2011 to 2019, Yari said he had continue to appreciate the sacrifices made by security agencies to combat insecurity in the country.

“In 2011, when I was in office, I stepped into leadership, and three months after, I became involved in discussions on security issues. From September 2011 until the end of May 2019, I had the opportunity to understand the situation, appreciate the efforts being made by the security agencies, and gain more insight into the challenges: what the issues were, how they could be contained, and why they were proving difficult to resolve within the time expected by the people. Governments come and go.

“I draw from my experience of insecurity during the 2015 general elections, my experience during President Buhari’s re-election in 2019, as well as the 2023 elections and the security challenges that accompanied them. All of these are part of our records. Today, it is not a different story. As a people, we have continued to face insecurity.

“Security is not the responsibility of the security agencies alone. It is not simply about security architecture. Politicians, elites and ordinary people on the streets are all part of the solution. I am speaking from experience and from the bottom of my heart, based on my eight years of stewardship as a governor and my experience dealing with these challenges.

“My understanding is that this is part of the entire process of nation-building and governance. But apart from that, in the state where I live, we saw a lot…
This subject, or the theme of today’s occasion, is not only about elections. It is about our lives, our economy, our well-being and so forth.”

The former Zamfara State Governor emphasised the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tackle the security challenges facing the country.

“Despite the challenges, the situation is becoming more difficult by the day, but the President is putting in more effort. In our own places, we understand and know that efforts are being made to ensure that people live in peace and harmony. There is a lot of equipment, a lot of security presence and other measures.

“I often tell anyone who cares to listen that if there are two things that Almighty God gives a president the privilege to ask for, and if the President were to ask me what I wished to see improved in this country called Nigeria, the first would be security, and the second would be the economy,” he said.

Commenting on recent developments in Osun State, Yari said stakeholders might not be satisfied with what happened, but expressed confidence that insecurity and the President’s commitment to ensuring a free and fair 2027 election would not undermine the democratic process.

“What happened in Osun, we are not happy with it, but I can assure you that, as an indicator, the challenges of insecurity and the determination of this President to ensure a free and fair election in 2027 cannot be in question, Yari said.

“I believe strongly, and I am speaking from my heart, that none of us, whether from the North-East or the South-South, who becomes President will allow what happened in Osun to happen anywhere else. I challenge all of us to uphold the democratic process.”

He said despite the insecurity, Nigeria has not failed to conduct elections despite more than a decade of insecurity

“We have been in this situation for a decade or more. Elections have been held, contested and successfully concluded,” he said.

Yari said that the theme of the event was stair discussions which was the newspaper’s demonstration of its commitment to addressing the challenges facing Nigeria.

In his remarks, the APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda thanked Blueprint newspaper for finding them worthy of the honours.

“May this honour inspire us to build institutions stronger than personalities and pursue results larger than publicity, and place the public good above our personal advantage,”. He urged young Nigerians not to surrender to despair.

“And to Nigerians, especially our young people, let me say this to you. Do not surrender our country to despair. Nigeria may be facing some difficulties, but they are not beyond our reach of our collective resolve.

“Our challenges may be great, but the Nigerian spirit is greater. Our problems may test us, but they can’t define us. We have to overcome our difficulties, and we will overcome them today, the challenges of today, of course. With the faith that we have in this country, we can build a better Nigeria”.

He continued “We will resolve to build a Nigeria of our dream, a Nigeria where young Nigerians can dream without an apology and walk towards their dreams without any fear, a Nigeria where our differences become a source of strength rather than an instrument of division.

“I therefore dedicate this person of the year award to every Nigerian who believes in our leadership. Leadership is service, and democracy is sacred trust, and national unity is a duty that requires all the contribution of every Nigerian to make it possible. I accept this honour with gratitude, but more importantly,

“I accept it with a new responsibility. May I remind me, may I remind me, and all those who are honoured today, that the greatest recognition is not the award we have received, but the lives that will be improved, and the nature of help we can support people from today to build a nation that all of us can be proud of…

“I believe in the Nigerian project, and the best of the Nigerian chapter is yet to be heard and seen. And together, with courage, integrity, and sacrifice, and faith in our country, we can build a new Nigeria of our dream,”.