Former chief security officer (CSO) to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has criticised the anti-corruption project of the President Mohammadu Buhari administration saying that it leaves much to be seen.
Al-Mustapha, who spoke to journalist in Abuja at the after an award as the Grand Commandant of the Rescue And Guard Response Initiative (RAGRI), noted also that the challenge of insurgency in the country calls for more retrospection to resolve the security challenges.
Mustapha, who was one of the 21 persons honoured by the Rescue and Guard Response Initiative, said at the moment the entire effort at fighting corruption is limited to only financial aspect of the Nigerian life as against the various other forms of corruption that should be combated alongside.
According to the intelligence officer, who said he was speaking as a citizen of Nigeria, he said the whole effort may only fetch the federal government a little success whilst it put in so much resources and energy to do the fight corruption it is working at nothing as the plans required for success in but lacking.
“Fundamentally before you fight corruption, there are vices you must consider. These should be at the planning stage.
“We are handling only one aspect of corruption. Remember there is corruption in every sphere and affairs of our lives.
“We are talking of financial corruption if that is the war; there are many measures to take. That is what I hope to see first on the ground before confronting corruption because you can actually work if you don’t plan it, you will be fetching little indeed you are sweating doing Nothing,” Al-Mustapha stated.
He pointed out that combating insurgency in the country would require the harvest of the youth, whose brains and minds must be moulded towards gainful ventures such as the Rescue And Guard Response Initiative and even religious organisation for profit to community and society as the youth comprised the ready army for such destructive ventures.
He pointed out that whilst the country can boast of its various security and para-military institution, the role of a body such as RAGRI which is strictly focused at rescue of Nigerians from precarious situation was indeed commendable.
He argued that no security agency is big enough to secure Nigeria but the activities of such institution would further reduce their operational distractions and strengthen their capacity in their respective areas of expertise for the good of country.
His words: “An NGO whose background is on an initiative of some Nigerians to complement the existing civil structure for restoration of peace confidence and order.
“First of all today, the trend is that of insurgency permeating layers of comity of nations. The wise thing to do in defence of any country is to look inwards and identify the factors militating and promoting insurgency.
“In containing them, you would require civil forces like this that would provide at the primary level. Identification of threats, analysing of threats and disseminating same to bigger bodies that are there to control and manage the territorial integrity of the nation.
“The wisest thing to do is to first contain them, and look at security at all levels and that is why I particularly believe that they should be supported to be equipped enough so that they will be able to cover Nigeria”
He added that “From the issue of intelligence collections, speedy dissemination, speedy management, ensure physical security and containment of local threats, and there is no single agency in Nigeria, today, that can single handedly say that they are big enough to cover our territory. So the gap that exist must be covered by agencies such as this one.
So there must exist bodies such as this one’s so that the bigger bodies can stand, it’s is a chain.
“One of the factors militating into insurgency is actually that we have the fighting force. The brain, the mind there to be moulded are the youth
“All am asking is that the youth should look inwards and look at the positive activities of these bodies and even religious ones. So that they can look at the future with positive thinking and hope and services all for our common good.”
Al Mustapha said that he is ready to offer the country advice that can help the government check mate the present spate of killings being carried out by the herdsmen but would prefer to offer the information to the appropriate authorities whom he hope would use them for the good of the Nation
“There are some secret which I would prefer to channel to those concerned. If they take it, it is for the common good of the country.”
Addressing the guests earlier, the National President and Commander General of the Rescue and Guard Response Initiative (RAGRI) Oloba Gbenga, the corps’ mandate is strictly to offer rescue services to trapped and stranded Nigerians in all situation that required physical skills and innovation.
His words: “As it is in Nigeria today we do not have rescue operation, it might be that some organisation have rescue as a department, it does not serve the purpose. But when you have a full fledge agency of government saddled with the responsibility to rescue Nigerians stranded or being victims of attacks, lost and left wondering it serves the greater purpose as people know where to reach out to for help.”
