MASSOB may become another Boko Haram, conference warns

Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, may later in life become another security challenge that Nigeria may be forced to contend with if not properly tackled now.

A keynote speaker at the 4th Biennial International Conference of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Ambassador Layi Laseinde, made this declaration while speaking on the current and future potential state of insecurity in the West African subregion.

Speaking at the conference titled; “Rethinking Strategy for National and Regional Security, Peace and Development In Africa, Ladeinde, said others that may also become security issues particularly in Nigeria, includes kidnapping, oil theft/pipeline vandalism, money laundering, cyber café theft/crimes and armed robbery among others.

He said in West Africa, terrorism had assumed worrisome dimension in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger as well as Tunisia and Morocco in North Africa where it has become a nightmare that is claiming lives, properties and displacement of innocent citizens in the affected countries.

Worse still, the diplomat said illegal trafficking of light and small arms, military coups and some other forms of insecurity is another build up threats to security in the African continent for years with the exception of South Africa where the culture of military coups does not exist

This is because on the other hand, the racist regime in South Africa left behind good style of governance, infrastructural development, enduring westernised lifestyle and good border protection which could not make acts of terrorism easy.

Giving the root cause of insecurity in Africa, Laseinde, listed the low level of development, corruption, uncontrolled population growth, illiteracy, poor infrastructure and introduction of democracy without recourse to the cultural differences of the people in place.

Proffering the way forward, the diplomat canvassed for a stick and carrot approach, fundamental infrastructures, sensitisation of the people for the form of democracy to be introduced, regulating religious preaching to the effect that preachers are made to pass through government controlled orientation with a view to protecting the populace from undue exploitation of the peoples’ sensibility to recruit them into religious violence and intolerance.

In his welcome address, Director of the centre, Dr Marfouiz Adedimeji, said Africa more than most parts of the world is the cradle of civilisation which is also bedeviled with vices like insecurity, underdevelopment, human rights abuse, corruption, environmental degradation, diseases, overpopulation, poverty, illiteracy and conflicts.

Adedimeji said Africa should no longer hold colonialism responsible for its woes, but face the reality of taking the responsibility and beginning to find ways, rethink, strategise, and chart the path to a future that is more abundant to the troubled continent.