Bad leadership accountable for insecurity in Nigeria, says Adaramoye

For Nigeria to overcome the insecurity challenge and its consequences, critical stakeholders must work to promote good leadership within the governance space, mop up illegal arms, and eradicate poverty, among other steps.

A lawyer cum politician, Kayode Steve Adaramoye made this call as the guest lecturer at the investiture of Mr. Rasheed Abimbola Odubanjo as the 19th President of Rotary Club of Egbeda.

According to him, insecurity has hijacked the socio-economic and political space of the country in such a perilous fashion that it has snowballed into a horrid nightmare. “Disturbingly and painfully, things are rapidly falling apart; the Nigerian centre can no longer hold its constituent parts. Dreams of the citizenry are chaotically, increasingly and menacingly cascading into mirage and fleeting illusion, as the nation’s hypo-dynamic heart is helplessly, hopelessly bleeding to death.

“Today, Nigeria as a nation is fast retrogressing into Hobbesian state. The prevalence of conflicts, crises, rancor, social disorder, brutality, man’s inhumanity to man, the existential fear of insecurity are un-abating due to incorrigible, insensitive, corrupt, pre-bender, non-altruistic, egoistic, ethnocentric leadership in the corridor of power. Solemn but rigorous interrogation of our leadership shows that our leaders are naked of altruistic, human and divine value. Rather, what we have are people clothed in egoism, solipsism, cupidity and obscene aggrandizement,” he said.

He noted that the legions of problems daily plaguing and besieging the nation, must be understood as direct or indirect creation of dysfunctional modus operandi of governance.

Adaramoye observed that the toxic society, which Nigeria represents today is the colossal failure of governments right from independence till date. He noted, however, that the essence of any party or group of people coming to power is to correct any error or remove any obstructing force(s) inhibiting the growth and development of the people in order to make life more abundant.

Adaramoye said the moment a leader comes to power and joins previous leaders to worsen insecurity and welfare of the people, then such government has manifestly failed woefully.

He said: “Nigeria for long has been in search of good, effective and effectual leadership. The causative infrastructure for this is bad leadership founded on corruption, impunity, unemployment, weak judicial system, porous boarders, failure to combat banditry, terrorism, injustice, ethnicity, kidnapping, nepotism, ethnocentric leadership, non-transparency, ignorance of people in power.”

He maintained that the face of governance in Nigeria is corruption and the anti-social attitude of awarding improper privileges impairs the authorities’ capacity to secure the security of lives and properties of the citizens and also endangers the welfare of the people governed.

“Buhari government rode to power with the ‘Change’ mantra, obviously with the aim and purpose of overthrowing the corrupt system on the ground. Alas, it has only come to worsen it as events have come to prove.

“It is estimated that corruption within the state apparatus cost the country billions of dollars every year. These colossal lost are supposed to be gainfully invested with effect of generating employment and happiness of the people, but where these are not realised criminals are bred and which ultimately causes insecurity in the society. Remember leadership creates crimes, men only commit them!”

He observed that impunity strengthens, promotes and consolidates the hold on corruption in the society and it is pretty sad those criminals are walking the streets with their freedom guaranteed by the government in power because they belong to the ruling political party.

“It would be recalled that the immediate past chairman of the ruling party openly stated that once you join the ruling party your sins are forgiven. And this is the reason why governors from opposition party are decamping in numbers to APC so that their sinful tracks would be covered. This kleptocracy is fast replacing democracy!”

According to Adaramoye, ethnic biased leadership would create political rupture in the society as a result of resentment to the iniquitous posturing, which mandated other cheated ethnic groups to form a revolutionary vanguard to oppose the existing status quo.

“Poverty and ignorance created by poor leadership create insecurity in the society. Today Nigeria is recognized as the capital of poverty in the world. This nomenclature conferred on Nigeria is pretty unfortunate given the abundant resources she is endowed with but mismanaged. This creates insecurity in the country. Thus rights to life, dignity of human person, personal liberty are corrosively breached as lives are trapped in insecurity and tragedies.”

He, nonetheless, said that to retrieve the country from the satanic grip-hold of the devouring insecurity, it is essential that a good leadership anchored on respect for the rule of law and due process, the accountability of political leadership to the electorate to insure, ensure and assure peace and prosperity of the people is birth.

“Mopping up of illegal arms in the society is critical. I know this is a daunting assignment. Sincere efforts and audacious intelligence must be deployed to the nooks and cranies of the society to mop up illegal weapons illicitly acquired by the people. This is an urgent task and it must be done. I know and believe that this is the beginning of a tough assignment of bringing insecurity in the society to its kneels.

“Eradication of poverty in the society is also important. Wherever poverty dwells, insecurity is a dire consequence. Poverty itself is a crime created by the society and when created it breeds many crimes, and of which insecurity is the greatest. In the view of this, poverty must be crushed by all available means if security of lives and properties is to be achieved and guaranteed.”

He also suggested that corruption and impunity as agents of insecurity must be destroyed, stating that corruption is synonymous with oxygen in Nigeria, though the latter creates and sustains life, the former kills life.

“Sadly, enough the rent-seeking ruling class who corruptly gatecrashed into the corridor of power ensures that this corrupt caste is sustained at all cost.

Regrettably the light of nation, the academic and allied institutions are in disarray because of the pollutants called corruption and impunity,” Adaramoye stated.