By Razaq Bamidele
An all-women organization, Stand-up for Women Society (SWS), has called on the Federal Government to do something tangibly concrete to stem the rate of insecurity in the country, warning that, “if concrete efforts are not made to stem the tide, SWS will lead Nigerian women in peaceful national protests commencing from June, 2021.”
In its National emergency meeting held in Lagos on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 by its apex body, Board of Trustees, the group charged President Muhammad Buhari to find a lasting solution to the problems of insecurity, banditry, gun running, destructions of farmlands and raping in the country without further delay.
A statement jointly signed by the National President of the most populated upcoming women gender advocacy organization, Barr. Deborah Abosede Ijadele-Adetona and its National Publicity Secretary, Bilkisu Ado Zango said, the Nigerian women and concerned Nigerian citizens are highly disturbed with the increase in the number of widows, fatherless and motherless children across the nation.
The group expressed special concern about the plight of, “particularly our people from the North-Central, North-East, South-West and South-South areas of the country,” noting regrettably that, “the heat of this insecurity also gets to the Relief Centres and individuals’ homes.
“Worst of it all is that farmers can no longer go to their farmlands, road transport is fastly becoming a mirage, most small business owners can no longer operate due to the sorry state of insecurity in our nation while the roads are becoming death traps. The future effects of all these will be famine in the families, poverty level will continue to rise, social vices and crime rate will increase especially among the youth which will definitely plunge our dear Nation into chaos and calamity,” the statement lamented.
The organization therefore said, “It’s on this note that, we members of the Stand-up for Women Society (SWS) are vehemently, condemning all these acts of man inhumanity to man and insecurity in our nation and so offer the following suggestions:
1. Make more recruitment into the Army, Air force, Navy, Police, Civil Defence and DSS.
2. Permit all state governments to have their own internal security, if possible establish the State Police.
3. Enact law enforcement agencies and judicial Tribunal at the federal and states level to give capital punishment to anyone caught in the act of kidnapping, banditry and raping.
The SWS also advised that, the traditional rulers should be incorporated into the, national, states and local governments Security Councils, “since they are more acquainted to understand the root causes of the problem due to their closeness to their communities and their people.”
Concluding, the organization warned that, “should no critical action taken on all major aspects of inhumanity within the next two months, commencing from the month of June, we, the entire members of the SWS will lead all Nigerian women in peaceful national protests across the country to drive home our demand.”
