TheCable

Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, former minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, has asked the federal government to address insecurity to curb hunger and starvation.

Turaki said this in a statement to commemorate Eid-el-Kabir on Saturday.

He said governments at all levels need to formulate new strategies to confront the country’s security problems.

The former minister’s statement is coming days after suspected Boko Haram members broke into Kuje prison and freed inmates.

He said the neglect of oil communities is compounding the country’s security situation.

“The high prevalence of insecurity in Nigeria is driven largely by social injustice and a failed economy; hence fueling continued agitations by the country’s young alienated generation,” Turaki said.

“Government must act sincerely as an unbiased arbiter to address insecurity headlong.

“Hunger and starvation in the land will get worse as continued violence and insecurity make our farms unsafe for families whose basic sustenance is dependent on their yields from the farms.

“National development without a focus on youths and the education sector, and intentional intergenerational collaboration between the privileged adults and the struggling youths, may not augur well for our security.

“Neither will the organized movement of street children and the disabled from one part of the country to another. We are only postponing the doomsday if it is ignored.

“Neglect of oil exploration communities and minorities will only deepen the threat to our national security, cohesion and unity. Underdevelopment and isolation of these areas will continue to cause avoidable tension and crisis in the country.

“The role of religious leaders and pulpit managers (Indigenous religions, Christianity and Islam) in our moral rearmament and collective re-engineering is urgently needed to salvage our nation.

“We must draw upon our religious virtues and understanding of what is best for our people as only this can keep us together as a people. I, therefore, wish all Nigerians a happier and stress-free salah celebration.”