By Giwa SHILE
Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, on Monday advised the Federal Government to take advantage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to effectively and holistically fight crime in Nigeria.
Arase gave the advice in a paper entitled: “Strengthening and Evaluating National Security” during the 50th Anniversary and International Conference held at the main campus of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Samaru, Zaria.
The conference which was organised by the Department of Political Science had “National Question, Security and Governance in Nigeria” as its theme.
He said the nation’s internal security could be best managed using internal security management, saying: “Internal security in modern times is built around three critical factors, which include; people, technology and systems”.
“We are now living in a globalised world where technology is both a challenge and also a solution. As a challenge, virtually all crimes are conceptualised and manifested with the use of technology such as cybercrimes, kidnapping, insurgency and armed robbery among others.
“Conversely, technology is also a solution to internal security threats, as it provides solutions, hardware and softwares that could be engaged and deployed to present the text and destruct elements that constitute threats,” he noted.
Arase said for any nation to get its security right, it must get the consent of the people, recalling that when the British first came into Nigeria to conquer the country they relied on traditional rulers to provide security for them.
He observed that there was no country in the world that had ever clearly cleaned up terrorists’ attacks, adding that America, which had the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world couldn’t stop armed men moving into the airports and hijacking planes.
The ex-police boss said to effectively tackle the national insecurity, there was the need for government to combine diplomatic approach, military law enforcement option and hearts and minds approach.
In his speech, a former Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu-Shema, described ABU as past, present and future of Nigeria.
He observed that there was nothing better than education, hence the decision of his government then to accord special priority to the sector to move the state forward.
Shehu-Shema recalled that his administration had offered free education to all students, adding that WAEC, NECO and NAPTEB fees were all settled by the then administration to give all parents a sense of belonging.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, said history of Political Science Department was synonymous with the history of the university.
He lauded the efforts of the department for the foresight, saying that the university was planned by the founding fathers for the present genetics to enjoy, hence the need for the present to plan ahead for future generation too.
While assuring protection of all ABU alumni, the vice chancellor called on the alumni to endeavour to pay back to the university to maintain its lead as the best university South of the Sahara.
Earlier, the Head of Political Science Department, Dr Aliyu Yahaya traced the history of the department to Oct. 4, 1962, he, however, said that the department commenced full academic session in 1967/1968 with ten undergraduate students.
He said the department, which had gradually expanded with new courses, had witnessed rapid Africanisation during the first African head of department.
The ceremony featured leadership award presentation to Gov. Ibrahim Shehu-Shema and other distinguished dignitaries.
