Economy
THE Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has backed decentralised policing system for proper grassroots security to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.
ICSAN President, Mr Gbenga Owokalade, made the assertion at the institute’s news conference on Thursday in Lagos.
Owokalade who described the nation’s insecurity challenges as overwhelming said that state owned policing system would adequately manage the country’s entire geographical locations and tackle the rising insecurity.
He urged the Federal Government to create templates that would make it easier for states to manage their own policing systems.
“Nigeria is matured enough to have state policing and we should be bold enough to allow states have their own security apparatus if we say we are a federal structure which allows to replicate structures at all levels.
“What we need to do is to put in place governance structures and institutions that would keep the people working for these places in check.
“This is very important to ensure that a repeat of the Owo massacre does not happen and to allow the night life economy which is dying because of insecurity to be revitalised,” he said.
Owokalade urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government to speedily resolve their issues to address the negative impact of the ongoing strike action on the unengaged youthful population and the education sector.
“You are breeding a youth force that is not adequately engaged and may join the negative narrative we already have on ground.
“There is a need to look at the future of the Nigerian child as both parties must make sacrifices to allow this issue end for the sake of our children and the sake of the nation,” he said.
He also appealed to Nigerians not to pick leaders based on tribal or religious sentiments, but subject leaders to the highest level of analysis and scrutiny for a better nation come 2023.
“Poverty, bad economy, insecurity and the rest know nothing about factors such as religion and ethnicity.
“All leaders must be subjected to the previous antecedents from past positions and must showcase the capacity to give us a future for the new Nigeria that the country deserves.
“The narrative must be about the competencies of the person and not tribe or religion to enable the country take its rightful place in the comity of nations,” he said.
Owokalade also tasked government to continue to strive in creating a more business-friendly and sustainable operating environment to address the increasing cost of production, encourage more foreign exchange inflows and create more disposable income.
He said that his one year in office had engendered a rise in the institute’s profile, bringing new stakeholders on board and led to its holding its annual public lecture for the first time in Abuja.
Owokalade pledged the commitment of his administration to grow the memenership of the institute, enhance capacity development of members and maintain its position as the foremost governance institute in the country.
“We are partnering with various institutions to ensure that we have Masters of corporate governance at many of these places and we have signed various Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that we change our name from the present name to Chartered Governance Institute of Nigeria in line with the newest narrative globally.
“We would continue to preach the corporate governance language all over the nation to address many of these challenges that Nigeria is facing at every strata of government. (NAN)
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Tags: ASUU Gbenga Owokalade ICSAN
