Professor Urges Action Against Insecurity in Nigeria

During the 42nd inaugural lecture at the Federal University Lokoja, Professor Iyokw Otinch raised concerns about the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, particularly due to banditry and terrorism. He highlighted that these issues have serious negative implications for the nation's development.

Otinch referenced John Pepper Clark's poem to illustrate the casualties of conflict in Nigeria, drawing parallels to the Nigerian Civil War. He noted that discussions on national security often overlook critical issues such as illiteracy, food crises, unemployment, and corruption.

Otinch called for a re-examination of the philosophical underpinnings of governance and the formulation of national security policies aimed at peacebuilding. He criticized the failure of modern civilization to ensure peace and suggested that the government should adopt comprehensive strategies to address the root causes of insecurity, including the ideologies that fuel conflict and the economic interests that benefit from war.