Every nation has its own challenges. For Nigeria, security has in the last decade become a major challenge now threatening almost every sphere of our lives as well as the continued existence of the country.
While generally, it is the primary responsibility of government to safeguard lives and properties, security has become so threatened that human safety is attacked in different forms-kidnapping, human trafficking, organ harvesting, and the traditional robbery while cybercrimes and destruction of national infrastructures and assets have sprung up.
In the last few years, there has been a steady destruction of national structures-burning of police stations, correctional centers; oil facilities, telecom , electricity facilities and rail tracks being vandalized. Airports and railway trains have also been attacked. These give frightening impression that our security apparatus and structures are being overwhelmed, something to seriously worry about.
national infrastructures and assets, Dr. Alfred Chiakor briefing
journalists recently in Port Harcourt
Deeply concerned by these ugly developments which paint a bad picture of the country, some serious minded Nigerians have initiated dialogues in the form of a summit to dig deep and unearth the issues pushing the wave of destruction and attacks with the aim of coming up with very pragmatic solutions that will quell the trend and rebuild interest in a feeling of ownership of the nation by all.
The first such meeting was convened in Abuja in February with the agreement that a stepdown be organized in all the zones to adequately capture the mood of the people on the problem as well as the best approach solutions. July 25-27 has been slated for the South South Summit and the theme is, “Domesticating Stakeholders Statutory Responsibilities in Protecting Nigeria’s Critical Infrastructures and Assets.”
According to Dr Alfred Chiakor, chairman coordinating committee of the summit and executive director Ashcraft Science Research Center, drivers of the programme,
the Summit is a follow up to the successful convention held at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Monday 28 February and Tuesday, 1 March, 2022. He said the imperative to domesticate the proceedings at the zonal levels and involve host communities forms the basis of the South South Summit.
Explaining the rational for the summit, he said:
“The last two decades have demonstrated clearly that the nature of threats to Nigeria’s security have changed significantly. Structural challenges, such as the systematic vandalisation, degradation and destruction of Nigeria’s critical national infrastructures, monuments and business assets; terrorism, insurgency, cyber-crimes, banditry, kidnapping, piracy, oil bunkering, drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime, have created an entirely new security environment. Nigeria now faces more security threats that have different characteristics from classic military conflict between states. The gross expansion of the contours that define security boundaries makes it imperative to recognize the eco-‐systemic dimensions of the threats that stare at us daily and in every form”.
According to him, “The rampancy and intensity of the vandalization and destruction of Nigeria’s infrastructures and assets prompted the call to arms by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Armed Forces, Intelligence and Security Establishment and all Nigerians, to see it as a patriotic duty to ensure maximum vigilance and shared responsibility in the protection and security of these Assets and platforms at all points in their life-cycle”.
Chiakor stressed that the security of the country is the responsibility of all and that the coming summit is an opportunity for people of the zone to come forward to speak out so their challenges can be properly understood and addressed in policy making..
“The South – South Zonal Stakeholders Summit is therefore, a Private/Public Sector Partnership that aims at galvanizing responsibility and synergy for the prioritization of the Multi Agency/ Joint Risk Management Efforts to ensure the security and resilience of Nigeria’s critical national assets, in line with the Risk Management Framework of the National Protection Policy and Strategy 2022 (CNAINPPS 2022), and also, the Critical National Infrastructure Bill under consideration at the National Assembly”.
The projections of the summit are said to be consistent with the provisions of the National Protection Policy and Strategy 2022 (CNAINPPS 2022); Petroleum Industry Act, 2021; the National Security Strategy Framework; and the Critical National Infrastructure Bill, 2021 currently under consideration at the National Assembly.
“The South – South Zonal Stakeholders Summit aims to intensify advocacy for Stakeholders Statutory Responsibilities. It shall also engender the re-engineering of appropriate legislations; and the strategic roadmap for harnessing expert knowledge and country wide technical support for deterrence, codified response strategy and recovery architecture to Nigeria’s critical assets. Equally important is the desire to seek a renewed commitment to the challenges impacting the integrity of critical infrastructures and assets especially, the vandalisation and destruction of its complex ecosystem of separate yet interconnected infrastructures in the oil and gas; telecommunications, transportation and power sectors.
To achieve the projected outcome and also sustain confidence building, diverse stakeholders are mobilized to discuss the challenges impacting the integrity, operations and security of these critical infrastructures and assets and also seek possible solutions and suggestions.
“The stakeholders being mobilized to the Summit include but are not limited to Nigeria’s national and state legislatures, the armed forces, security and intelligence agencies, statutory regulators in the diverse sectors of Nigeria’s productive economy, investors/business owners, operators of the infrastructures and assets, professional and civil society organizations, the traditional institution, socio cultural and pressure groups, etc.”
The overall target is the development of a security roadmap and policy frameworks that will engender pride in national assets and the spirit of protection of such infrastructures.
“By building inter/multi sectoral synergy, the summit shall engender Stakeholders and citizens with shared responsibilities towards achieving the institutionalization of the road map and priorities of the policy frameworks crafted to provide deterrence, security and resilience of Nigeria’s assets.
“It is also the expectation of the Conveners that the derivatives from the Summit shall enhance knowledge leadership & management, regenerate confidence in securing Foreign Direct Investment into Nigeria’s productive Sectors and also boost capital growth and turnkey business startups and development,” Chiakor stated.
Concluding, he said, “the security of lives, infrastructures, monuments and assets is the collective responsibility of every citizen whether private or public. Issues of security, destruction of lives and property know neither religion nor ethnicity.
“We are calling on the partnership and support of all stakeholders, both in the public and private sectors, with diverse political, religious and professional orientations to put aside all prejudices to help forge a common front to confront the monster that is threatening the integrity of our corporate existence as a people and as a nation.
“It is incumbent on us all therefore, to engage robustly on how to deter and mitigate these challenges in a systematic and coordinated manner. This way, we can be sure of preserving our collective heritage and the sanctity of our God endowed resources-human, technical and material.
“It is time also to live the slogan that says, “If you see something, say something. If you hear something, do something.”
He urged the media to join in the campaign.
“We trust therefore, that as patriotic professionals of the fourth estate of the realm whose duties are often impacted by the aggravated assault on our collective psyches, you will see this as a call to duty and help disseminate the content of this press conference to a wide domestic and global audience”.
