Nigeria’ minister of transport Rotimi Amaechi has has stated that the recent killing of 110 farmers in Borno and general insecurity in the country could be traced to hunger and poverty ravaging the land. Amaechi made the remarks while featuring as a guest on Channels TV programme, Sunday Politics.
According to the former Rivers governor, the most important issue to address in Nigeria presently is tackling the twin menace of hunger and poverty in the land contrary to the generally held belief that what is needed tyo fix Nigeria right now is restructuring.
The minister said: “I don’t see anything bad with restructuring. But I am saying that It is not the most critical problem that we have. The most critical problem we have is that hunger and poverty are breeding insecurity.”
On Saturday, operatives of the terrorist group, Boko Haram struck in Borno and reportedly killed 110 farmers in Zabarmari, a town not too far from the state capital Maidugiri.
Nigeria’s security problems have taken a very worrisome dimension in the last five years with reports of mass killing, kidnapping, armed robbery and sundry criminal activities becoming regular occurrences.
Armed robbers, kidnappers, militia herdsmen and other criminal groups have taken hold of territories, unleashing mayhem on innocent Nigerians whether that are in their homes, at school, work, on the road, places of worship or at relaxation centres.
The reaction of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency to these unfortunate developments has left many bewildered.
Calls by the Senate and other well meaning Nigerians to dismiss the heads of the security agencies and hire new hands have gone largely unheeded even as doubts over the competences of the services chiefs continue to mount with each act of criminality.
