Progressives task Nigerians to unite in the fight against terrorism

Nigerians of all tribes and creed have been  charged to sink their ethnic, social, political and religious differences and unite together as one family and fight the menace of terrorism in the country. 

The charge was contained in a release issued last week by a pan-Akwa Ibom socio-political group, Akwa Ibom Progressive Advocates, AKIPA on the state of the nation following the rising spate of insurgency and bomb blasts that have continued to claim countless innocent lives in some major cities across the country. 

 The release which condemned the wanton spate of bomb blasts in some states of the federation and Abuja and particularly in north eastern Nigeria decried the bestial commitments of terrorists to willful destruction of innocent lives and property. The release which noted that the fight against terrorism must be taken seriously and done collectively quoted the National Coordinator of the organization, Hon. Emmanuel Bassey as saying; 

‘It is sheer demonstration of distended political bias to single out and blame Mr. President of not doing enough to tackle insurgency in the country. The government and security agencies have done a lot given the circumstances that terrorism manifested in the country and the fact that terrorist tendencies were until recently completely alien to our national culture. With the dimension it has taken, we need to understand that fighting the raging wave of terrorism in Nigeria is not like fighting a conventional war. It is not a task for the President or the security agencies lone. 

It requires and demands    collective and sincere efforts of all Nigerians. It is not a war that would be completely won through the force of arms, it requires psychological inputs. We need to talk to the vulnerable groups to dissuade them from submitting themselves as willing tools to further the cause of terrorism and accepting to play extreme roles as suicide bombers.  Everybody must be involved. Every angle must be explored. Religious leaders need to teach sound religious tenets that emphasizes peace and respect and the sanctity of life. Politicians need to preach strict adherence to sound democratic principles, tolerance, unity and peaceful coexistence.  We should do away with the mentality of blaming the evil on religious, political and sectional factors or looking for solution to this menace along such lines. It is obvious that so far, terrorism has created victims across board. 

Nobody has been spared. Whenever suicide bombers detonate bombs the impact is overwhelming. Bombs do not discriminate against political affiliation, religious creed, social or ethnic background or even economic status. So far worship centres, churches and mosques, palaces, schools, markets, motor parks, police stations, offices and other public places have been destroyed by terrorists. Innocent children, adults, the young and old have been killed and as things stand, nobody is completely saved. We need to come together and fight this evil together and the time to do so is now. ’

AKIPA in the release stressed that insecurity in one section of the country is insecurity in every section of the country and advocated that available resources, material, social and intellectual should be pooled together to fight insurgency in the country and ensure that the evil is completely eliminated in our nation.  The body commended the military and other security agencies for adequately engaging and containing the prevailing security challenges and commiserated with families of victims of the various bomb blasts in the country expressing the hope that this evil will be uprooted in the nation in no distant time.

Still on the state of the nation, Progressives in Akwa Ibom State have enjoined lawmakers throughout the country to rise up to their responsibilities by providing the statutory checks and balances for the executive arm of government to curtail glaring acts of impunity and leadership rascality by state governors and those elected into leadership positions. Commenting on the gale of impeachment initiatives by some legislative houses across the country in recent times, the National Coordinator of Akwa Ibom Progressive Advocates, AKIPA, Hon. Emmanuel Bassey said the legislature has the mandate to ensure accountability and transparency in government and among those occupying leadership positions. 

He noted that impeachment is a constitutionally recognized measure of dealing with official misconducts and misappropriation of state fund by corrupt governors and charged legislative houses not to hesitate to impeach any governor who abuses his office to serve as a deterrent to others. 

Reacting to views that the rising spate of impeachment initiatives is a product of political victimization by the ruling PDP government as the Adamawa State governor recently impeached committed the alleged offences while he was in the PDP only to be impeached when he left the party to APC, he said it is immaterial at what stage of the administration such offences were committed stressing that once such acts of misconducts are discovered and enough material evident established, the house should follow laid down procedures and send such erring governors out of office to serve as a deterrent to others.