As Muslims across the world celebrate Eid-el-Fitr, some residents of the Federal Capital Territory have called on the Federal Government to provide effective security in the country.
The residents said that with the level of kidnappings and banditry in some states, the government must ensure that lives, and property of citizens were secure.
According to Abdulwahab Sanusi, a civil servant, if lives and property are secure, it will ensure optimal productivity of Nigerians.
Sanusi decried the level of insecurity in the country, especially the kidnappings on the Nyanya-Mararaba axis.
“We desire government to do much more to secure lives and property. Nigerians expect a better environment for safety,” he said.
He called for training and retraining of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force and other paramilitary groups to ensure the safety of citizens.
Hajiya Hafusat Arome, a businesswoman, said even as market women, they needed security in their homes and the market as they strove to make ends meet.
“Some of us stay out late to sell our goods and the fear of returning home at night is increasing day after day,” she said.
Arome urged the government to do everything possible to secure the lives and property of citizens.
Chukwuemeka Sunday, a carpenter, said that the question on the lips of Nigerians was “how do I survive the day without thinking of my safety?”
“This is not good. That is why crime and insecurity prevail in the land.
“I know that the government is doing its best to ensure that Nigerians move freely without fear, however, I believe more could be done,’’ he said.
He, therefore, called on the government not to relent on its effort at tackling insecurity issues to achieve meaningful development.
Another resident, Bamishe Owoeye, commended the government for its “giant strides’’ in revitalising the economy and fighting corruption, and urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to relent in his second term.
“The Federal Government has really tried in the fight against corruption, and I must say that it is a great achievement so far.”
On the level of insecurity in the country, Owoeye said that it had eaten deep into the “veins’’ of the country.
“One wonders whether it has been politicised, but to be honest, the government needs to beef up security.
“If the lives of the citizens are not secured, then we cannot achieve much. Lives and property must be protected for Nigerians to have a better life,” he said.
Blessing Onakpa, a student, expressed optimism that the “next level’’ of governance in the country would bring blessings to Nigerians.
“My everyday prayer is that in this next level, Nigerians will see more positive changes in the country, ’’ she said.
(NAN)