A group of the All Progressives Congress under the aegis of APC-Legacy Awareness Campaign, APC-LAC, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves commendation by Nigerians for recently acquiring a first Landing Ship Tank, LST, for the Navy, since 1979.
The APC group also said the Nigeria Air Force, NAF, received about 23 new aircraft since 2015 as part of commitments of Present administration to end insecurity.
A statement released to newsmen Tuesday in Abuja and signed by the APC national youths leader, Ismaeel Ahmed; Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, Salihu Lukman and a former APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, among others, said APC government “is confronting Nigeria’s longstanding and deep-rooted security challenges.”
The group cited the launch of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, the new Police Act signed by President Buhari in 2020 which incorporates the concept of Community Policing to buttress President Buhari’s determination to secure the country.
“Equipping the Security Agencies and Building Morale: The Nigerian Military is seeing the biggest investments in weaponry and equipment in decades. Hundreds of new platforms are being acquired for the Army, Air Force and Navy.
“The Nigeria Air Force has received 23 new aircraft since 2015, with at least a dozen more being expected, and the Navy has most recently acquired its first new Landing Ship Tank (LST) since 1979. The Administration has also launched a Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
“Promoting Community-led Solutions to Insecurity: The new Police Act signed by President Buhari in 2020 incorporates the concept of Community Policing. President Buhari is a huge advocate for the re-institution by States of age-old communal security mechanisms that bring together traditional and community leaders and the Police, for the provision of credible intelligence and the resolution of conflicts and tensions as they arise.
“New Security Infrastructure and Operations across Land and Maritime Environments: President Buhari has just flagged-off the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure project, to protect Nigeria’s vast waterways up to the Gulf of Guinea. In the last five years, a number of technology solutions are being deployed and implemented to support the Police, Immigration and other security agencies.
“Examples include the new Nigeria Police National Command and Control Centre (NPF-C4i); the new Nigeria Police Crime and Incident Database (NPC & IDB) Centre; the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS), developed by INTERPOL; and the Migration and Data Analysis System (MIDAS), developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).”
According to the statement, Mr Buhari consistently highlights the primacy of security among the components of his administration’s governing agenda.
“None of Nigeria’s security challenges is new; what is new is the boldness and commitment with which the Buhari Administration is confronting these age-old challenges. Even as several challenges persist across the country, we are confident that the interventions being implemented, many of which have not been seen in Nigeria’s recent history, will begin to yield fruit in the near future:
“Addressing the underlying drivers of insecurity (poverty and youth unemployment), through programmes and policies in agriculture, manufacturing, small business support, ease of doing business, massive infrastructure investment, and many more. In this regard, the Buhari Administration has successfully lifted 10.5 million Nigerians out of poverty.”
The legacy awareness group also said the federal government has recently approved a National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy Plan, to consolidate on the successes so far, and to achieve the President’s vision of lifting a 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade.
“The Buhari administration will, working closely with the States and Local Governments, and the Legislature and Judiciary, continue to initiate more reforms that can improve the capacity of security agencies to secure the country and be resolute in its determination to rid Nigeria of crime and criminality. It may take some time for Nigerians to see the full results of these interventions, but we are confident that safer days surely lie just ahead, for our country.”
