Wike urged Sen. Kingibe, representing the FCT in the Senate, to consider initiating a review of existing laws
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has said the worsening security situation in Abuja and other parts of the country will reduce drastically if the nation’s economy improves.
He made this known in the nation’s capital on Monday, during a media interaction, where he argued that poverty and the economy are two sides of a coin, just as poverty and criminality were connected.
Wike, however, assured Nigerians that the Federal government is making efforts to improve the economy and that this will eventually address poverty, which he claimed is one of the drivers of insecurity.
Speaking during the media chat, the former Rivers Governor said: “You cannot talk about poverty without talking about the economy.
“If the economy is good, it means a lot of things will function well and that will be able to reduce poverty.
“When the economy is working well, there will be a lot of employment creation. When the economy is good, businesses will thrive, and this is what the current government is trying to do.”
Wike further urged Nigerians to wait patiently, adding that the measures put in place by FG would in the long run, improve the economy and bring about poverty reduction.
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While acknowledging the contribution of poverty to the rising insecurity in FCT and the country, the minister stressed that poverty was not peculiar to the FCT alone.
He added that FCTA would not be able to reduce poverty within the territory when it was tied to the national economy.
Also speaking during the parley, the minister called for stringent laws to check crimes in the territory and complained that the penalty in the current law was not enough to discourage criminality.
He also said currently, criminals are vandalizing solar powered street lights in the FCT, lamenting that the penalty when caught is N30,000.
According to him, the culprit would pay and go back to commit the same offence.
“What I am saying is that legislation should be put in place where it will no longer be easy for criminals to operate.
“If you are caught and the penalty is heavy, it gives you an option not to either participate in crime or pay a heavy penalty when caught.” Wike noted.
He then urged Sen. Ireti Kingibe, representing the FCT in the Senate, to consider initiating a review of existing laws that were put in place to fight crime in the FCT to make the punishments stiffer.
In his view, such a move will complement the efforts of the security agencies by ensuring that whoever is caught committing any form of crime pays dearly for their actions.