– Political leaders have been urged to monitor the messages being preached at religious centres
– Many youths are recruited from religious centres which has to be given full attention
Colonel Chris Otulana (rtd), former Director, Directorate of Nigerian Military emanating from Churches and Mosques as a measure to check religious fundamentalism.
Chris Otulana, who spoke in an interview with NAIJ.com said on the backdrop of pledge of allegiance Boko Haram made to the Islamic State (ISIS) operating in Iraq and Syria, said that some youths are recruited from religious centres, calling on parents to ensure their children are appropriately educated.
“Parents must also ensure that their children are properly guided. Government should ensure that Churches and Mosques are monitored because sometimes, these youths are indoctrinated in religious centres.
“You can see in Arab and even in Europe how young people are massively recruited into terrorist organisations. African leaders must ensure that children of the continent are properly educated. Corruption in the continent must also be tackled because if people have no future, they will resort to radicalism.
“African leaders must continue to orientate youths in the continent on the subjects of fundamentalism and Islamic radicalism in order to curtail the negative Islamization of young people,” he said.
Otulana, who fears that if steps are not taken to proffer permanent solutions to current security challenges, the continent would continue to have security issues, posited that what happened in Tunisia, and happenings in other Northern African countries should serve as a warning signal for all who are concerned for the security of the continent.
Men of the Nigerian army
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“In Africa, none of us is ready to police our borders effectively; but we are talking about free movement. The free movement is also contributing to the porous nature of our borders.
“ECOWAS free movement is also creating a major security apprehension. To that extent, there is a need for security cooperation and intervention particularly for all the nations that are vulnerable.
“The cooperation I am talking about works in three categories: at the continental level, what we call the Africa Intervention Fund (under Africa Union), but it has yet to experimented. Then that of ECOWAS, when we formed the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) for Liberia.
“It was an ad-hoc that has been copied by other regions of the world learning from the ECOMOG experience; then the example of the ECOWAS, what we call the ECOMAG, should be replicated in the sub-regions where the activities of the insurgents are fierce,” he said.
Attributing the current victory of the Nigerian soldiers over its arch-enemy Boko Haram to the acquisition of good armoury by the immediate past administration, he said the military were now in possession of tough weapons which it did not have in time past.
“In the last few months of the last government, investment was heavily made in the military. The weapons they now have were not available in the past. They wanted weapons in America but America was not ready to give them. Militarily planning is very important. If you want to have a military, have it and if you don’t want to have a military don’t have it,” he said.
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