Bauchi Governor Reveals Success Of Using Hunters, Security Forces To Fight Bandits

Bauchi Governor Reveals Success Of Using Hunters, Security Forces To Fight Bandits

By Musa Yahaya

Governor Bala Mohammed has attributed the stable security in the state to good governance and strategic leadership.

The Bauchi governor said this while delivering a lecture titled ‘Strategic Leadership: My Political Experience’ to participants of the National Defence College (NDC) Course 32 on Thursday in Abuja.

He said his government, from the onset, took a sector scan of the state to identify problems and challenges, taking into cognisance the state’s geographic set-up.

According to him, Bauchi has rivers, mountains, unmanned spaces, and one of largest forests and games reserves in the country, which could serve as a hideout for bandits.

“So, we knew our problems and challenges. We came into partnership with the security architecture and the military. There is a joint operation that we have and we are funding them with so many bases for them and we are holding security meetings almost fortnightly or monthly.

“We are deploying resources where it matters. We also got in the hunters and the people who have some prowess and powers,” he said.

The governor said Bauchi also engaged the traditional institutions, civil society groups and local governments in ensuring the security of the state.

He said as part of the strategy to tackle the security challenges in the country, governors should settle down in their states, maintain open communication with the people and work with all segments of society in order to understand and respond to the security dynamics in their states.

The governor also recommended regular peer review meetings among all state governors to sharpen the thrust of strategic leadership and ensure good governance.

He suggested the formation of alumni of former leaders at all levels who should meet at least biannually to review the state of the nation and propose the way forward.

The governor also recommended setting up a committee of former military and other security chiefs to proffer lasting solutions to the alarming state of insecurity in the country.

The Bauchi governor also made suggestions on how to stabilise the political system and engender peace and harmony among Nigerians.

“A deliberate effort should be made to end the winner-takes-all nature of Nigerian politics that creates permanent enmity and thwarts every effort at national consensus.

“There should be the establishment of a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission where every component group would vent, remonstrate with each other, and chart the process of true healing,” said Mr Mohammed.

The governor added, “The convocation of a national constitutional conference to deliberate on and produce a new constitution for the country.

“Granted that the success of a constitution depends on the operators, the misgivings associated with the present constitution cannot guarantee the stability, national cohesion and strategic leap into a new world of seamless development that we envisage.”

NAN