Former President Goodluck Jonathan wants the Federal Government to bring back two programmes from his time in office. They are the Almajiri education scheme and the Great Green Wall project.
He believes both can help reduce insecurity and create jobs. Unemployment among young people, he said, is one of the factors fuelling violence.
Jonathan spoke through his former Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe. The event was the public presentation of Beyond the Bullets: Policing Terrorism in a Democratic System in Abuja on Saturday. A former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, wrote the book.
The ex-president said his administration set up the Almajiri schools to give young people skills beyond religious education. “My administration engaged in the establishment of Almajiri schools, aimed at providing skills to millions of youth population beyond religious education only,” he said.
According to him, the scheme would help youths earn a living. It would also shrink the pool of people open to recruitment into violent crime.
On the Great Green Wall, Jonathan said the project could halt desertification and free up more fertile land for farming and animal husbandry. It could also employ hundreds of thousands of people.
He then appealed to the government. “I therefore use this opportunity to call on government to revisit and review these programmes,” he said.
Terrorism needs continuity
Jonathan described terrorism as a lasting national and global problem. No single administration can defeat it alone, he said.
He called for institutional learning, steady commitment and policy continuity across governments. He also said the title of Abubakar’s book reflects the need to look beyond force.
Dangote: Create jobs
The President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, also spoke at the event. He said military action alone cannot end terrorism.
“If you don’t create jobs, it’s difficult to fight terrorism and get it out of the way,” he said.
Dangote urged entrepreneurs to partner with the government by investing in businesses that create jobs and wealth. Pairing economic opportunity with security operations, he said, can help Nigeria defeat terrorism, banditry and other violent crime.
He cited a UNICEF report that put the cumulative economic loss from the North-East conflict at about $100bn. He believes the true figure is higher, especially when agriculture is counted.
Dangote also asked Nigerians to support the effort. “Fighting terrorism is not only for the government alone, but it’s our collective responsibility,” he said.
Abubakar: Security must respect rights
The author said the fight against terrorism must not weaken democracy, human rights or the rule of law.
Security agencies, he said, must protect citizens without treating whole communities as suspects. Discriminatory policies could erode public trust and weaken counterterrorism work, he warned.
“Fighting terrorism should never mean treating the whole community as suspects,” he said.
He cautioned that excessive power can damage relations between security agencies and the people they serve. “When fear becomes policy, discrimination becomes security,” he said.
Abubakar added that courts, the legislature, the media and civil society should not be seen as obstacles to national security. “They are the ground rails that prevent security from becoming domination,” he said.
Effective counterterrorism, he said, needs coordination among agencies, intelligence gathering, accountability and respect for the law. Investigations must be credible, evidence tested and victims heard. “Democracies must answer violence with process,” he said.
The central message of the book, he said, is that security operations must go hand in hand with fairness, accountability and human dignity.
