The presence of insurgence in Nigeria has repeatedly been attributed to bad governance, injustice, bad politics, and poor leadership.

CEOAFRICA gathered this from the statement of Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, during a lecture, titled: “Overcoming the Nigeria Security Challenges: A panacea for national growth and development,” delivered at the 14th annual Mike Okonkwo Lecture, in Lagos, at the weekend.

Dr. Kalu, a former Finance Minister, delivering a speech at this Symposium, established that the issue of security surpassed having bloated armed forces in place but rather entails addressing the socio-economic issues that degenerated into civil unrest and violent reactions that had claimed several lives.

He purported that the result of insecurity in the affected areas and even beyond is near total cessation of production and commerce when widespread and wanton killings, destruction of properties and the desecration of places of worship, with the consequent displacement of persons become the order of the day.

He equally pointed out that with the current situation in the country, not much would be achieved by the government in its drive to bring about development, with focus on bringing foreign investors, adding that no reasonable investor would come and stake his investment in an environment bedeviled with political and social upheavals.

Dr. Kalu advised that government should create a level playing field for all Nigerians in order to stem the tides of insecurity in the country, adding that politics should not be a do-or-die affair.

He also canvassed for deliberate retraining programmes to spice up the performance of security agents in achieving improved security services.

The chairman of the occasion, Major-General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), in his remark highlighted the need for people in leadership positions to be humble, self-confident, knowledgeable, disciplined, just, patient, tolerant of each other’s idiosyncrasies and be responsible in the exercise of authority.

He concluded however that a meaningful development and growth will be achieved, if leaders are creative, able to set goals and always conscious of the fact that they cannot achieve without the masses carried along.