Prof Jonah Onuoha, Department of Political Science University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) says the Federal Government policy of accepting repented terrorists, de-radicalizing
and reintegrating them into the society on better economic platform should be sustained.
Onuoha who is the Director, Centre for American Studies in UNN, said this in Nsukka on Thursday while delivering lecture at the Department of Security and Criminalogy Studies of the university.
The theme of the lecture “Why the poor is poor, interrogating poverty tree theory, its implications on security challenges” .
He said government policy of accepting repented terrorists, de-radicalize
and reintegrate them provide better economic platform, if sustained would go a long way to deplete the pool of criminals in terrorist gangs in the country.
“This idea of rescuing these criminals and reintegrating them in the society which I called the “grafting or budding theory of government” if sustained will help to remove more criminals in terrorist gangs, weakened the gangs as well as reduce security challenges.
Boko Haram is assumed to be thriving in the North because many youths are poor and vulnerable to terrorists sponsors inducements.
“Terrorists groups hijacked these youths with their ‘carrot’ because they are poor and vulnerable, so government rescuing them and giving them a better alternative economic platform, will make many of them surrender in order to embrace a better economic livelihood ,”he said.
The Don noted that this grafting policy of rescuing, de-radicalizing and providing a better economic platform worked perfectly in Niger Delta where thousands of militants were granted Amensty by Federal Government.
“The Amensty of Federal Government ended militancy in Niger Delta region and stopped the breaking of government oil pipelines.
“I suggest government should also find a way of integrating and providing a better economic platform for agitators of Biafra in South East in order to address the separatist agitations that had lasted many years,”he said.
Onuoha who was a former Head of Department of Political Science in UNN, said by his poverty tree theory, the son of a poor man is poor if the poverty is generational.
“In generational poverty, a son of a poor man is poor until he is grafted.
“In this poverty theory, a man who is not married, does not have a car and a house is seen in the society as a poor man “he said.
Onuoha expressed appreciation to the Department of Security and Criminalogy Studies for finding him worthy to deliver the department maiden weekly lecture series.
In a remark, Prof Nnanna Arukwe, Head of Department Security and Criminalogy Studies UNN, said the reignited weekly lecture is called Security and Development Dialogue in which the department invite intellectuals from different disciplines to come and speak about security and other important issues.
“Security affect people differently but it affects the poor more because the poor is more vulnerable,” he said.
The HOD explained that one of the ways to solve the issue of insecurity is to lift people out of poverty as well as increase empowerment that would strengthen people’s resilience.
“Yes government has done much but there is room to do more, government is expected to provide citizens with economic, food, health, environmental, community, political and personal security, with these, citizens will become more resilient and less vulnerable to poverty,” he said.
He commended Prof Jonah Onuoha for delivering a lecture that is intellectually rich and thought provoking, which has generated much reactions and would continue to generate more reactions.
In an interview with our correspondent Dr Emeka Nwanze, a Principal Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Management in Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu and Dr Anthony Ajah from Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State agreed with what Prof Jonah Onuoha said in his lecture that poverty is one of the major causes of security challenges.
They said Prof Jonah Onuoha whó was their Masters and PhD Supervisor, is an erudite professor, a custodian of knowledge and ” walking encyclopedia”.
Our Correspondent reports that, the lecture was attended by staff and students of UNN as well as people from different walks of life as the seminar hall of the Department of Security and Criminalogy Studies was filled to capacity, with intermittent applause from audience while the lecture was being delivered.