By Joseph Edeh
A former Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Mike Okiro, has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritise security to attract foreign investments to the country.
Okiro, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, said that insecurity has the potential to scare away potential investors.
He said that security is a national issue that every government should prioritise.
“Insecurity in the country is currently a great concern to everybody. Naturally it is a global phenomenon and Nigeria is not left out of the problem“, he said.
He called on the new administration to properly equip all security agencies, especially the police which are saddled with internal security to perform optimally.
The former police boss said that a well-equipped police was critical to the fight against criminality.
He urged the government to train and retrain police personnel, provide enough equipment and prioritise their welfare.
Okiro said that security was not the exclusive reserve of any particular agency, but the responsibility of every citizen of the country.
“Every Nigerian should contribute their quota to check in insecurity and not to leave it in the hands of government,“ he said
“I have no doubt that the president will do well in tackling insecurity. Before he became the governor of Lagos in 1999, crime was at its highest peak but he sanitised it.
“In spite of the size, population and commercial activities in Lagos, He laid a solid foundation where other successful governors built on,“ he said.
Okiro attributed the sanity in Lagos today to the foresight of Tinubu when he was the governor of the state.
“I still believe like any other right thinking person that he will address the issue of insecurity in Nigeria.
“Security is a collective responsibility we should all play our roles to keep Nigeria afloat’’, he said.
He said the police should be adequately equipped to be ahead of criminals, who operate with sophisticated weapons. (NAN)
