The Association of General Studies for Colleges of Agriculture and Allied Institutions in Nigeria (AGSCAAIN), has called on the Federal Government to adopt a holistic approach to address security challenges in the country.

The association made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of its two-day First National Conference held recently at the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi.

The document was jointly signed by Dr Anyim Anyim, Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Dr Eluwa Akubuike, chairman, Communiqué Committee, Dr Daniel Akindele, Secretary, Communiqué Committee, and Mr Ebenezer Adeyemo, member.

The communiqué was made available to newsmen on Monday in Abakaliki.

The conference with the theme; “Human Development and Insecurity in Nigeria: The Nexus”, urged the federal government to focus attention on the development of human capital as a panacea for curbing the lingering insecurity in Nigeria.

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The conference urged governments at all levels to do more in addressing the intractable security challenges confronting the country.

The conference also attributed the problem of insecurity to leadership failure which has bred youth unemployment and restiveness across the nation.

The association, in an eight-point resolution at the end of the conference, noted that proper human development from pre-school, school and post-school stages should be a major concern of government in addressing challenges of insecurity.

“There is the need for fundamental structural transformation of the Nigerian nation.

“Government should henceforth build the capacity of the citizens to reduce idle minds.

“Government should create an enabling environment for private businesses to thrive in Nigeria. This will include granting incentives to the private sector and private business owners.

“Nigeria should be restructured along with a mutually-agreed arrangement that allows every component to take charge of the security of lives and property of citizens through a decentralised policing while FG takes care of defending our territorial integrity.

“There is a need for the reduction of scarcity and inequality through revolutionary development programmes which should be predicated on equity, justice, fair play, rule of law and upholding human rights principles.

“Wealth should be de-emphasised as a basis for social status and be replaced by the level of the creative production of goods, services and ideas.

“There is need for government to demonstrate commitment in human development, because, when the human person is well developed, he is bound to be humane, fair, compassionate, just and caring,” the communiqué added.

Prof. Emma Chukwuemeka of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in a lead presentation, titled: “Human Capacity Building and Insecurity in Nigeria: The Nexus”, argued that heightening insecurity in Nigeria is due to leadership deficit.

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Chukwuemeka, a professor of Public Administration and Development Studies, noted that the attendant consequences of leadership failure are unemployment which has bred an army of idle youths who are easily used as willing tools for crimes.

He further identified brain-drain and farmers-herders conflict as causes of insecurity in Nigeria which, he said, had brought about food insecurity.

The don listed critical steps to ameliorate the present insecurity situation in the country.

He said: “Government should embark on an aggressive human capacity building while legislative incentives should be granted to youths who are interested in running private businesses.

“There should be a reduction of inequality through revolutionary development programmes which should be predicated on equity, justice, fair play, rule of law and upholding human rights principles.”

He called for the creation of grazing reserves and routes in order to solve the issue of encroachment on farmlands that have often led to farmers-herders clashes.

In a keynote address, Prof. Godwin Emezue, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Abia State University, Uturu, said that there is a connection between human development and security.

Emezue described human beings as an individual who possesses the quality of civilized character and the capability of being humane and the willingness to extend benevolence to others.

The professor of English also defined insecurity as a condition of being prone to danger connoting fear, anxiety and lack of defence.

He listed kidnapping, banditry, ritual killings, terrorism and other forms of insecurity as consequences of hopelessness and helplessness inherent among the people of Nigeria as a result of poor human development and leadership deficits.

He said that the connection between human development and insecurity is complex, yet could be addressed by being humane, fair, compassionate, just and caring. (NAN)