Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has alleged that recruitments into Nigeria’s security agencies had been politicized, leaving the country’s security in the hands of job seekers.
Zulum was delivering a lecture entitled ‘Ungoverned Space and Insecurity in the Sahelian Region: Implications for Nigeria Domestic Peace and Security’ at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.
He said: ‘The major problem is the recruitment process. Those being recruited into the Nigerian Army, police and other security agencies are job seekers. Many of them are there because they don’t have a job.
‘Those enlisted 20 years ago are performing well, but these people are looking for employment only. So, there’s no commitment and dedication.
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‘These days, governors, ministers, and other top government functionaries have slots. Nobody is to interview them whether they are qualified or not. Admission into Nigerian Army, police, and others are now politicized.’
The governor added: ‘Unless we get it right, nothing will happen in this country.
‘If we want to make progress, we must ensure that we pick the best. If not, we shall continue to recruit the dull ones. We must engage those that can deliver because we have a lot of competent Nigerians.’
He maintained decentralising the police would worsen the security challenges facing the country, asking the proponents of state police to examine its long-term implications before it could be embraced.
‘Honestly speaking, I, Babagana Zulum, will not support it, not because I don’t like it, but because of the implications.
‘Nigeria is not mature for state police. Some state governors can use it to wipe away other tribes apart from their tribes.
‘So, we have to be very careful. If half of the power given to the Nigeria Army, police, and others are given to state police, Nigeria will be in problem,’ he submitted.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK