A former Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulraham Dambaba (retd), has appealed to leaders and citizens to devise a joint approach towards combating insecurity in the country.

Dambaba spoke as the Chairman of a four-day Executive Leadership Course in the History and Future of Nigeria, organised by the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Peace Building Development Consultants, held on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

He urged stakeholders in the nation’s security sector to redirect their plans and work out a workable security blueprint for the country, adding that the physical security and the intelligence security personnel must work as a team.

Dambaba said: “There are certain steps to take. For instance, some of the deep rooted issues are socio-economic. And I think addressing those issues will go a long way to reduce incidences of criminality and violence in the country.

“I will love us to take a comprehensive approach, where every stakeholder in the nation’s security sector is partnering the other to solve our security challenges, rather than operating in silos.”

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Udom Emmanuel, represented by his deputy, Moses Ekpo lamented that Nigeria as a heterogeneous society accepted zero-sum game approach in solving her national problems.

“I believe Nigeria has a lot to learn from the American example. We are a deeply heterogeneous society, defined by religious and tribal fault lines.

“Rather than walking through our differences as America did, unfortunately, we have enlarged the fault lines and adopted, largely, zero-sum game approach in solving our national problems.

“From our unfortunate fratricidal war of 1967-70, to the current insecurity in the land, the deepening of the chords of ethnicity and religious differences, to flagrant inequality that exists in our nation, I think, we as leaders have a lot more work to do, in closing the gap or chasm of division.

“If American worked through her issues and today is the undisputed hegemonic power of the world, applying and deploying both soft and hard power to shape the world in her image, which she has done successfully since 1945, Nigeria too will in no distant future also emerge as a truly united, indissoluble, equality-laden entity,” he added.