COVID-19: Insecurity is Nigeria’s coronavirus – Former Sokoto Governor

A former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa has cried that insecurity in Northern Nigeria should be given the same attention as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor stated this as a reaction to the proposed N400 billion budgeted for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Bafarawa said the government should instead direct the budget to insecurity in the country because insecurity has claimed more lives than COVID-19 in the country.

“The government appears to have abandoned the situation and channelled all its effort to a pandemic that has taken barely 2000 lives in the country.

When I see that things are not going well, I cannot keep quiet. If I keep quiet, other parts of the country would accuse us of promoting what is bad. The reality is that we in the North are not happy with the way things are going.

I see Nigeria as one country; it is not a question of whether the president is a northerner. We are not saying this based on our interest. We are saying this on behalf of the people who do not have the opportunity to say it. I believe most Nigerians have the same feeling.

In my village, about 14 people were killed just two days ago; security has not improved. About 2000 people died last year from Coronavirus, come to think of how many lives were killed within a year, 3000 to 400,000 people died from insecurity.

Now we are talking about 400 billion, and just about 2,000 people have died. Why can’t we divert this money for security? Insecurity is Nigeria’s Coronavirus because we don’t have much COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Coronavirus has taken lives less than insecurity. Insecurity has taken lives and property. Look at the danger the insecurity is bringing, if we use that 400 billion to buy security equipment, it will do a lot in curbing insecurity.” he stated.