From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Former Military Administrator of Delta State Air commodore Luke Ochulor (retd) has warned that if Nigeria does not proffer a quick solution to the rising insecurity in the country, it may gradually drift away from the comity of nations.
The elder statesman gave the warning while chatting with Daily Sun in Owerri on Thursday. He noted that with the daily insecurity challenge in the country, Nigeria is fast losing its credibility adding that the citizens too are losing their self-respect and dignity to the outside world.
Ochulor although has attributed the origin of the problem to politics, saying a typical politician is insensitive to the plight of the citizens in the country.
Even though he believed that most of the insurgents is from outside the country, he averred that the Federal Government should brace up and tackle the insecurity headlong.
Proffering a solution to the end of the challenge, Ochulor advised the government to move into the troubled areas and evacuate the residents, allowing it to face the insurgents squarely at least for three months.
‘It’s a disaster; what is paining some of us is that politicians seem not to understand the impact of what is happening. To be honest, Nigeria is losing her position in the comity of nations, nobody has envisaged this. I believe the whole thing is as a result of politics,’ he said.
‘I like the statement by Major General Ishola Williams that Nigerians are not normal people. If they think that we are normal then they will know that the life of every person is important. I believe most of the people causing this are not from Nigeria, they are from outside who were allowed to enter the territory of Nigeria in the name of religion
‘And they have already made Nigeria uncomfortable in such a way that you can’t travel up to 10 kilometres on the roads without looking back over your shoulders, this is a country where we are supposed to be safe and sound.
‘So, what it means is that Nigeria has lost its credibility before the rest of the world…’
Advising on the way out of the challenge, Ochulor said ‘the only solution is that since we know the whole thing started from Boko Haram and ISWAP, it is for Nigeria to mobilise and make up its mind and go all out, ask those people leaving around that troubled areas to vacate the places if it is for 3 months, even though it will cost a lot of money and lives.
‘Let us fight it out once and for all instead of giving excuses when people are killed’ that does not solve the problem, it does not make sense sympathising after losing many lives for no just cause,’ Ochulor lamented.