By Gregory Mmaduakolam
Abuja – Gen. Chris Garuba, former Military Gov. of old Bauchi State, on Tuesday said that peace, unity and security are vital to the development of Nigeria.
Garuba said this in a keynote address at the 6th Summit of Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) in Abuja with the theme“Peace and Security for Sustainable National Development, A Multi-Professional Approach’’.
According to him, Nigeria is not only suffering recession today but also under the pang of divisive forces which is pushing it along the path of instability.
He said that all the negative pathogens were reducing the country’s speed of progress which was affecting all Nigerians.
He said that the key goal was to brainstorm and strategise on how to achieve peace and security in the nation through a multi-professional approach, to ensure a sustainable development in Nigeria.
He expressed regret that for over 50 years after independence, Nigeria, development-wise, was far away from where it was supposed to be.
“Crisis upon crises has not allowed the country to experience steady development. As patriots, it is not good for our psyche and as a nation, it is not good for our image.
“Secondly the country is now in recession with the risk of sliding into depression if all necessary and urgent measures are not taken. Several state governments cannot pay workers’ salaries.
“Thirdly, there are unemployment, hunger and poverty in the land, and people are dying of these three diseases that are fanning the embers of anger and hatred,” he said.
He said all hands should be on deck with the Federal Government to ensure that Nigeria was pulled out of recession, adding that Nigerians needed to think and generate useful ideas on the way forward.
Garuba noted that it was in view of finding solutions to the nation’s challenges that key professionals met.
He called on individuals with useful ideas to forward them to the government.
He listed dialogue, funding and training of police as lead agency for internal security, combating of poverty/corruption, mass education, carrying out value reorientation and creation of jobs as ways of achieving sustainable national development.
He said there was need for professionals and government to synergise, to achieve national peace, security and sustainable development, adding that professional bodies contributed to peace and security through job creation.
Garuba said that Nigeria was a blessed nation with abundant resources and huge population as a big market, noting that they would attract foreign investors.
He said with good leadership, the country would come out of its present recession earlier than expected.
Earlier, Dr Omede Idris, President of APBN, said security was everybody’s business, hence the need for the association to create awareness.
He advised the government to see every profession as a key indicator to security, regretting that it was one thing that had not happened in the country.
He assured Nigerians that APBN would come out with advice to government and relevant security agencies on security matters in the country. (NAN)
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