Amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently fortify the country’s security architecture, saying that relying on partnerships with foreign countries to intervene in the nation’s security woes could further exacerbate the challenges, news.ng reports.
Falana made the call during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television on Thursday, monitored by this platform.
According to the renowned lawyer, the current geopolitical tensions are not different from what is going on in the country. He called on countries, particularly Nigeria, to build formidable internal systems that can withstand any external aggression.
The ongoing military operations in Iran, spearheaded by the United States and Israel, have led to global disruptions in shipments of petroleum products, causing the price of oil in the international market to rise. This has negatively affected the price of the commodity in the country, as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), or petrol, is now sold between N1,200 and N1,300 per litre.
In response, the legal luminary warned that it could have grave humanitarian consequences if nations continue to rely heavily on foreign assistance without increasing their capacities.
“It has imposed a humanitarian crisis in Cuba. No fuel goes to Cuba, and you know what that means in the case of Nigeria. And that is why Nigeria must wake up.
“We must learn from Iran that unless you reorganise your own country, unless you equip your armed forces, unless you equip your police force, there is no way an imperialist country like America will guarantee law and order in your country,” he said.
On the spate of insecurity in the country, the distinguished lawyer noted that since the American government carried out airstrikes last December in the north, the crisis has worsened.
“Since December, when this man on Christmas Day told the whole world, I have struck Nigeria, and I’ve killed terrorists. Since then, terrorism has been on the increase in our country,” he said.
