Alhaji Isiaka Mustapha, the Chief Executive Officer, Peoples Security Monitor (PSM), in this interview with EMEKA NZE, says despite the security challenges in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct peaceful and successful elections next year and new leaders will be elected
What is the Peoples Security Monitor aimed at achieving with its popular security programme on radio?
Basically, Peoples Security Monitor is designed to create awareness among Nigerians and to also see the issue of security as a collective responsibility and again the need to rescue our country from the agents of insecurity because there is hardly anything anyone can achieve devoid of security. Security is a necessary ingredient in virtually all the things we do. Within the comfort of our bedroom, we need security around us. So we see it as a way of re-awakening the spirit of Nigerians that patriotic duty to be conscious of security in our country and secure it from the agents of insecurity. This is the only country we can call our own irrespective of wherever we find ourselves. That need is non-negotiable for us if we want Nigeria to remain as one entity. Essentially, what we do is to create space for dialogue between us the people, the security agents and if you check it very closely, it’s not something that is really different. Only that uniform men carry guns, we may not be carrying guns but we also play a vital role in complementing the effort of the uniformed security men. There is a need for us to work together as team for us to save Nigeria.
With the ravaging insecurity in the country and the 2023 general elections fast approaching, what do you think should be done to stem the ugly trend to pave the way for elections next year?
With emphasis, most Nigerians are patriotic but we do have a few of us who easily succumb to money, just few Nigerians. If you check it out, to a very large extent, Nigerians are peace-loving people. They want things done legitimately, legally, devoid of crisis. But I must say that what we are facing now is a passing phase in the task of nation building and I have no doubt in my mind that next year, election would be conducted, new leadership will emerge. We may not be able to rule out issues of insecurity in some places, but the truth is that elections would be conducted and I’m very confident that Nigeria will come out of it. That is my optimism, no matter what we face now it will be very very suicidal for Nigeria to be allowed to drift into crisis because as a matter fact, Nigeria is a regional leader and beyond our own entity here, if there is crisis here, there is going to have a spillover effect on the other smaller countries around us. So I believe very strongly, other countries are interested too, the entire world is interested in our elections too, even the super powers, as the case may be, are also interested in the matter. Things will be brought to normal, we will have our elections and a new set of leaders will emerge.
You introduced some elements of controversy in your programme, particularly, when you brought Shirhk Gumi who is allegedly been seen to be aiding and abetting the terrorists. What informed this?
Before any other thing, we need to align with the fact that Nigeria is our country and we are all Nigerians irrespective of whatever views or position we hold. We need unity in all spheres to defend this country. I will not have any indisputable evidence at my disposal to confirm that His Eminence Shirhk Gumi is a supporter of Boko Haram or Fulani terrorists insurgents because I have had opportunities and privileges to sit with him one on one. He has told me a lot of things. I think there’s a misconception along the line concerning the role of Abubakar Gumi. He has taken it upon himself, designed it in his own way to get Nigeria out of insecurity. I want to believe very strongly that that is being misconstrued in some quarters. Now what is he doing that some people are not comfortable with? He has chosen to create an enabling environment whereby he can meet with the Boko Haram/Fulani terrorists, ask what exactly is the problem, how do we get them integrated into the society, tell us your pains and let’s see how we can form a link between you and government to address those issues. Maybe, because Boko Haram/Fulani terrorists are being seen as spirits. Honestly, they are human beings and they have listening ears and also they have their grievances. I want to believe His Eminence Gumi is thinking along this line. Again, His eminence is tapping from the benefit of proximity because he is from the troubled zone and he knows the terrain better than any other person who is not close to the place. If he had been a Lagosian, it might be a difficult task for him. He’s got language advantage, the proximity is there, he understands the custom and culture of the people and he is respected. He believes his voice can take things to a peaceful state. After all his effort, he told me that he discovered, along the line, that some people are smiling to the bank with the issue of Boko Haram insurgency, that he had come to realise that some highly placed, even with the military would not want an end to it because it’s a veritable source of making money and the moment peace is achieved, no more free money. So they don’t want that to end. There must be crisis so that the cash will be pulled out and all manner of misappropriation will set in. He said that there are fifth columnists within the system working in connivance with the insurgents. So we cannot wish away a personality of Shirhk Gumi in the scheme of things because in any ideal country, you have to rely on the counselling and voices of some personalities, especially, the clergymen who of course have large number of followers. So wherever the misunderstanding is coming from, I believe with time, that would be sorted out but what I see Gumi is doing, in my own interpretation, is just looking for peace in his own way. He said most times he goes into the bush to meet these guys, he does so with the consent of the security agents, that they are in the know, they take details of what transpired there. Maybe with time, His Eminence Gumi, himself will work with the authority to sort out things.
You instituted award where you periodically recognise some personalities. What is the motive behind this award?
We are privy to a lot if information in the security circles and we know what some principal officers do behind to make sure that security is sustained in this country. It might not be known to the members of the public but we know that there are some Nigerians who are really committed to the issue of getting Nigeria secured and we deemed it fit that it would serve as some kind of encouragement to other people if the people who are doing well are being commended. It’s not for monetary gains. It’s just to tell people that if the officer in charge of so, so and so Police Division could do this, you can as well achieve it too. So it is just to boost their morale and tell Nigerians that it’s not all that a terrible case in our country, that there are people who are working behind the scene to ensure that peace is sustained in Nigeria and it also serves as a database for some of the security organisations. The IGP might not be aware of a DPO who has almost worked his heart out, the one that was almost killed while on active duty, etc. We create that awareness and they use it in measuring some of the steps they take.
What would you want to achieve with the Peoples Security Monitor, especially, in terms of relationship with security agencies in Nigeria?
In the next five years or probably before then, we want to be seen as an entity that is committed to helping to secure Nigeria in all forms. We would also like to see our synergy with other security agencies grow and firmly rooted. We need a lot of exchange of intelligent reports; we are the voice, we go on and announce to Nigerians through our media outreach. They work in the background by supplying us intelligence, how to prevent insecurity, how to sustain security. We want to see ourselves playing a leading role in the task of securing Nigeria at our own level. We want to see a situation whereby we call the Chief of Air Staff, we call Chief of Naval Staff, we call Chief of Army Staff, the IGP, and we can exchange information and they can quickly get across to us that these are the challenges they are having. They cannot do it all alone, it’s not all about gun and uniform, after all, Boko Haram they kill soldiers with their guns but we need this synergy as a matter of priority.
How do you view payment of ransom by those whose relations have been kidnapped?
It’s absurd in the sense that we cannot claim to have all the communication technology around us and people still use phone to negotiate for ransom without being tracked, it’s really strange. It seems that technology is not working in Nigeria the way it works in other places because all the numbers are being tracked for security reasons. For the ransom payment to have continued means that there are fifth columnists within the system. I want to believe that people entrusted with public office are also taking undue advantages of such offices to perpetrate evil. Ordinarily, all these things ought to have been traced to the genesis. Failure to achieve that tells you that there are people within the system who are conniving with the criminals. That is the bitter truth whether anybody likes it or not.
Would you want to offer some advice to security agents as measure to reduce this tide of insecurity in the country?
The most important advice at this time is for us to, first of all, see ourselves as Nigerians. We need to see that we have a task to preserve our country irrespective of material gains, political affiliation and the rest. We have a responsibility to keep our country intact, be you a civilian, a soldier, policeman, whatever. We owe Nigeria that duty to sustain the peace that would enable us achieve peaceful and credible election. If we have that consciousness that we need to preserve this country, that will take care of other things because when we sleep with, we live with it, we think of it, then it would guide us to do the right thing.
