Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly church now renamed Citadel Global Community Church, Lagos, has appealed to the Federal Government to redouble efforts on job creation to reduce criminality in the country.
Bakare, who made the appeal while delivering his homily in the church on Sunday in Ikeja, harped on the need for the government to focus attention on youth unemployment and restiveness in the country.
He said: “We will have fewer security challenges when government at all levels focus urgent attention on job creation for the massive army of jobless youths in our nation.
“Youth joblessness is the breeding ground for the various forms of crime that have bedevilled our land.
“Evidently, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Even our present constitution stipulates that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“Consequently, we cannot prioritise the security of the citizens above the welfare of the citizens, the two must go hand in hand.”
He added that the crime rate would “drastically drop” if youths were gainfully employed or helped to become job creators.
“By taking these bold steps, we will be building a nation where our homes, schools, streets, villages, highways and cities are safe and secured.
“We will also be building a nation where Nigerians can work, play or travel with their minds at rest, and where families can go to bed with their two eyes closed and their hearts at peace.
“I remain committed to seeing the emergence of that dreamed nation,” he said.
While talking about Amotekun, Bakare who commended the initiative, said that Nigeria also needed to revisit its national foundation to have a perfect union.
“The trend towards regional security outfits is an indication that Nigeria needs to revisit its national foundation and renegotiate them in order to have a more perfect union.
“It is time to address the underlying issues of nationhood and reset Nigeria on the path to predictable progress,” he said.
Bakare, who was thankful that steps had been taken to address the legal deficiencies surrounding ‘Operation Amotekun’, hoped the laws that would be enacted would cater to the nation’s security architecture.
Leave a Reply