Cleric Solicits International Support to Combat Terrorism Issues in Nigeria.
Hannah ARIKPO
In view of the persistent spate of insecurity in the Country, the President and Founder of the Christ Christian Chapel International (CCCI) Calabar, Archbishop Dr. Emmah Gospel Isong has solicited for foreign assistance to help the Nigerian military intelligence to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity threatening the corporate existence of the nation.
Archbishop Isong who was speaking at an 'Executive Interview platform', a current affairs magazine programme of the Beagle Newspaper in Calabar, noted that it takes high technological operations from nation's like the United States of America to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.
The Clerric who also doubles as the Executive Director, Remedy for Victims of Religious Persecution and Discrimination Initiative, identified politicization, religious ideology, unproductive doctrines, philosophy as part of the complications in fighting the hydra - head demon which has not only crippled the economy but affected other areas such as food scarcity. increased corruption and poverty.
He however, wondered why, President Tinubu who is not a former military General is creating positive minimal impact in proffering solutions to Nigeria's security needs unlike past Military Generals who have ruled in the country in the likes of Buhari, Obasanjo and others, emphasizing, "government should stop being hipocritial, pretending, hoping that perhaps engaging the international community will make the process of tackling insecurity transparent and result oriented.
"Responding to a recent chat with the former American Secretary of state, I said the best way to tackle terrorism in the country is that the United States of America should support Nigeria's Military intelligence with high technology because modern trends in technology have shown that the Nigerian government is pretending not to know solutions to our terrorism and kidnapping problems. There is politicization of our terrorism issues as well as weaponization of the responses of using religious ideology, philosophical doctrines to complicate the problem, President Tinubu is not an Army General but is more serious in fighting terrorism than military Generals who had ruled the country in the past," Isong stated.
On tax reforms, he described the Nigerian nation as a combination of a capitalist and socialists economy and called for reforms that will strategically boost small scale businesses, improve the standard of living especially as it affects the poor in rural areas through reduction in transportation fares, accommodation etc stressing the need to relieve the burden of taxation on the poor in the society, "the rich is supposed to pay more than the poor as practised in other countries. It should be a deliberate attempt to rub Peter to pay Paul.'
The CCCI International President further harped on attitudinal change, character building, restoration of values and ethics as strategies on the road map to severe corruption out of the nation's polity while advising the Nigerian government to justify the fight against corruption through her policies and show honesty, transparency, integrity and come out clean,
"We cannot talk about corruption on what I termed 'media trial' on the pages of the Newspapers and broadcast stations with flashy headlines like 'ICPC , EFCC arrest so, so, so ... it should not be a situation of the kettle calling the pot black, he that goes equity must go with clean hands. Leaders in position of authority must show example, bold to say, 'we are not corrupt', corruption must start with the fighters of corruption." He admonished.
