Former Chief Security Adviser to former Head of State, Major Hamza Al Mustapha, has said the over 360 mineral resources endowment of the country is the major source of security threat for the country.
Al Mustapha stated that this has attracted her both internal and eternal enemies, attributing it as the cause of insurgency in the country.
The ex-Chief Security Adviser who spoke on Tuesday at the launching of a non-governmental organisation, “Foundation for Civilian Peace in Nigeria”, said unfortunately, those saddled with the responsibility of leadership in the country were neither serious nor understand what peace was all about.
Al Mustapha noted that the country is surrounded by numerous threats some of which he said he was not prepared to make open, adding that the leadership of the country was not sensitive to the numerous threats.
He stated that either the country does not know what to do with the threats or those squarely saddled with the responsibility to do what they should do, are not doing it.
Al Mustapha stated that one disturbing element in the attainment of peace in Nigeria is sticking to what he called the three components of national security management while the rest of the world has long moved to 16 components of national security management.
“From the content of the speech made by the chairman of the foundation itself, one can say, this country has leadership at different levels, and I stand to be accused, I stand to be hated for speaking the truth, and I’m happier if I’m accused for speaking the truth. “We are not serious, we do not care and we do not even understand what peace is all about. The military you have, the weapons you buy to defend, to protect your country is in search of peace, nothing more.
“And at this time with the experience we are having in the country, in all parts of the country, ingredient or causes of insurgency exist everywhere.
“For those who understand it and for those who have the measurement to know it, should understand that we are surrounded by numerous threats. There are some I will not want to mention in the open.
“But evidently, i think we are not sensitive. If the general feeling is that we have people on whose shoulders are squarely resting that are careless.
“We have threats, either we do not know what to do with it or those squarely saddled with the responsibility to do what they should do, are not doing it.
“So to those who decide to go into rhetorics, we can understand that that in itself is a threat and God will secure this country.
“But I will say peace has no frontiers- so it was, so it is and so it shall be, forever. So any person, or persons, organisation or government that play with peace,its attainment, it’s education ,it’s sustenance , it’s enforcement , it’s a leadership that doesn’t know it’s primary responsibility rested on it.
“The only major point I will make here is one thing that is very disturbing. From the time Nigeria attained her independence till date, At the time of independence, and that was what was in practice the world over, was that there were 3 components of national security management.
“Today, the rest of the world has moved and attained up to 16 components of national security management. Nigeria is still operating under 3. This is disturbing and we have all it takes to draw to the attention of our enemies, at home and abroad for exploitation sake.
“In the world, there over 360 mineral resources in Nigeria, meaning we will continue to attract the attention of our enemies because the practice is if you have, there are modalities of taking it, the ones you know and the new innovations to come.
“And a the new innovations and the desires for man to take away what you have are threats in the eyes of Nigerians. I said some few years ago that Nigeria is honey , the threats, the smallest ones are flies. The only way to protect the honey is to learn to cover the honey and know when to take and when to cover it. But if the flies persist,” he said.
