Sen Orji Uzor Kalu calls for urgent, decisive measures to tackle increasing insecurity 

A former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), has called for urgent steps by the government to end the spate of insecurity in the country.

 

Kalu, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on South-East Development Commission (SEDC), also advocated the investment of additional resources in the security agencies, stressing that for the nation to tackle its insecurity challenges, the issue must be addressed not with politics, but based on its current realities, which he said are deteriorating.

 

The former Senate Chief Whip stated this on Monday in China via a video posted on his social media page, calling for decisive measures to end the scourge.

 

Reacting to the recent alarm raised by Borno State Governor Zulum over the deteriorating security situation in his state — in which he said that some parts of the state had been lost to insurgents — Kalu pointed out that if nothing is done urgently, the state, including the Southeast, may be lost totally to terrorists.

 

Specifically, the former governor frowned at the politicization of insecurity in the country, which he attributed to political leaders.

 

Kalu asserted that security is a very serious issue which should not be politicized.

 

Kalu also urged Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, not to downplay the issues raised by the Borno State Governor but rather to brief the President on the true security situation in the country.

 

He said: “The Minister of Information is doing his job, but Professor Zulum is right. I am almost from Borno State. If the Federal government doesn’t take the right step in Borno State and the South East, those areas might collapse.

 

“I want to believe Professor Zulum that the security situation is deteriorating every day, so we need to step up, especially in the Southeast.

 

“Our Southeast governors are doing their best to fight insurgency. I would like the Federal government to step up security in the Southeast because it’s a gateway for people transporting goods from the ports and refineries.”

 

Kalu also called for an end to the verbal squabble between the Minister and the Governor, saying that for the situation to be resolved, President Tinubu needed to be told the truth.

 

He said: “For me, Professor Zulum and the minister don’t need to argue. These are fundamental issues. If we don’t tell President Tinubu the truth, the place will be ungovernable.”