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The Managing Director of News Central TV, Kayode Akintemi, has called on the government to tackle insecurity in Katsina State.
Akintemi spoke on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Emir ahead of the News Central Town Hall in Katsina scheduled to hold on Thursday, where residents are expected to discuss security challenges and other issues affecting communities across the state.
According to him, residents from Kusa, one of the communities invited to participate in the event, informed organisers that they would be unable to travel because their community had come under another bandit attack.
“Some of the people that we have invited to come to the town hall tomorrow… they’re supposed to come to Katsina tomorrow, but they just told us that their community has been attacked and bandits are running riots all over the place,” he said.
He added that other invited participants were also grappling with insecurity in their communities.
Akintemi lamented the deterioration of security across northern Nigeria, contrasting the current situation with his childhood when, he said, people could move freely without fear.
“I was born and brought up in Nigeria. I did primary school in Kaduna… I went to FGC Kano. In my days, we didn’t have anything like that. You can be anywhere in Nigeria and you will feel safe. You will not feel threatened by any problem.”
“But that which is happening today has become a big issue that we need the government to solve.”
The News Central MD said the purpose of the town hall was to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians whose experiences are often disconnected from those in positions of authority.
“When people are going through troubles and problems, those who are in Abuja and those who are in government houses across the nation are what we call insulated from the problems of the people.”
“They don’t wake up in the morning and go and queue for petrol. They don’t go to the markets to buy anything. They have people that sort it out for them. So they don’t know what my brothers here are going through or what their families are going through.”
Citing repeated attacks in communities including Kusa, Matazu and Malumfashi, Akintemi said the violence had become a recurring reality for residents.
“The governor of the state today is not around, but people are getting killed and getting threatened with gunshots and running helter-skelter in Kusa. The same thing has happened several times in Matazu, in Malumfashi. It’s happening everywhere and it’s happening almost every other day.”
He said the town hall would provide an opportunity for affected residents to publicly present their concerns in the hope that authorities would respond.
Akintemi expressed hope that the engagement would spur concrete action to improve security in Katsina State.
“As a result, we are hoping that they will take action that will translate into bringing peace to Katsina,” he said.
