Absence of Unified Identity Threat to Security in Nigeria- Osita Chidoka
The former Minister of Aviation during the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, Osita Chidoka has said absence of unified identity for Nigerians is the biggest security threat to the country.
He said although there are government organizations in the country that produces Identity cards for Nigerians, he insisted that a unified database with identity card for individuals would reduced insecurity in the country.
“The fact that people can go about and carry out criminality without identity is a big threat to the country,” he said
Chidoka said this on Tuesday at the Nigeria Political Parties Discussion Series (NPPDS) organized by the Center for Democracy and Development in Abuja.
The former Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) boss said in spite of the spate of religious clashes in the country, criminality is not supported by any religion in Nigeria. He however insisted that law and order must apply when individuals carry out violent acts under the guise of religion.
Chidoka said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would continue to promote the freedom of religion in the country if voted back into power in the coming presidential election in 2019.
The PDP stalwart also pointed out that lack of enforcement capacity is also a big threat to the security of the country.
“We must go back to the fundamentals of security which means there must be consequences for misbehavior,” he said.
On his part, the Presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Part (ANRP), Tope Fasua lamented that religion is used as a weapon for violence in Nigeria by those who benefit from it.
He also pointed out that the 13.2 million out of school children especially in the north of the country are “liable to be weapon in the hands of those who use religion to endanger the country.”
Fasua said that for Nigeria to be effectively secured in 2019, the country need a budget of about 15 trillion naira to cater for food security, defence, health and other welfare of the country. He stated further that the 8.73tr proposed by the government is meager compared to what the country needed.
The NPPDS organized by the CDD focuses on security and policy priorities of political parties in the country as Nigeria moves towards the 2019 general elections.
