In a recent statement, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, president of the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), has addressed pressing national issues including insecurity, state police, and the hardships facing Nigerians, during an interview with Sunday Sun.
Omotehinse criticized the government's handling of insecurity and underlined lack of sincerity among government officials in addressing the issue, connecting to the continuous issues of insecurity to political manipulation and corruption.
"I have addressed this issue of inse- curity at different fora and my position is that the problem of insecurity that we have in Nigeria is as a result of the insincerity of our government."
"Yes, let me repeat myself, and I am saying that it is because our government is not sincere in the fight against insecurity. If the government is sincere about it we would have won the battle long before now. Even the police, the Nigerian Army etc, all of them are not sincere in their commitment."
"Those who are threatening this country, the bandits, the criminals, kidnappers etc, are an infinitesimal number, less than one per cent of our population. If the government is really sincere and they want to deal with them, it will not take them a day, but they keep increasing because the government is not sincere, playing politics with a very sensitive issue."
"Look, some people are eating fat from the state of insecurity in the land, if not, our security chiefs need to be called to question. What is the essence of their position? What are they doing? Insecurity is increasing day by day in the country and we keep on saying: we have security chiefs, that we have Chief of Army Staff, that we have Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Naval Staff etc, they are doing nothing. They can’t say they are doing something when lives of innocent citizens are wasted in hundreds by the day. The police is not doing what they are supposed to do, just like the other agencies. It is obvious that those in government, those directing the affairs of the country are not handling the issue with sincerity. If the govern- ment is very sincere with winning the way we would have done that before now."
"Many people are gaining from the proceeds of this insecurity, so they will always want to sabotage the fight while pretending that something is being done. How can the rag-tag Boko Haram be wasting lives the way that they are do- ing and government will still be telling Nigerians that they are on top of the security challenge? You cannot be on top of it and the thing is increasing by the day in its deadly efficiency. Let the government wake up and face reality," he said.