TheCable

The African Democratic Party (ADP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to reach out to the private sector to support the country’s fight against insecurity. 

In a statement signed on Tuesday, Adelaja Adeoye, national publicity secretary of ADP, urged Buhari to live up to his responsibilities in securing the lives and properties of Nigerians.

Adeoye, who said he supported the calls for restructuring, added that there is a need to review the country’s security architecture.

“If we should critically examine the security situation in every part of Nigeria, the outcome, as usual, will be a sad tale due to our weakened security architecture,” Adelaja said.

“The honest expectation of the Nigerian people is that Mr. President should be able to seek help from independent security experts, stakeholders, so that they can join him in building a formidable security network, that will properly protect our citizens.

“However, despite the continuous call by Nigerians, members of the legislative arms, for President Buhari to replace the service chiefs, he appears unbothered for a reason best known to him, while the security situation continues to deteriorate.

“The governors who do not have the power to command or control federal police, are at the mercy of the presidency in the case of security concerns. Some of them who came up with alternative solution with their security votes, such as Amotekun, are still facing all manners of resistance from those who are hell bent on playing politics of blackmail and bitterness with the lives of the people.

“In actual fact, governors are called chief security officers of their states, but the smacking reality is far from that, because it is only the president that has the constitutional power to direct the IGP, and his state commissioners to swing into action.

“This is one of the reasons there must be restructuring or call it devolution of power, so that a workable system that will truly serve and protect all citizens would be put in place.”

Adeoye also called on the president to introduce new “tact, compensations and other ideas”, which he said would make the security architecture more effective.