President Tinubu has to ask the UN to declare northeast Nigeria a heritage zone and then introduce a robust economic regeneration and security programme aimed at reviving the area

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Without security, economic growth is a mirage. As a first step, the Nigerian federal government needs to licence local vigilante groups in all 774 local government areas of the country to ensure uniformity. This way, they will all be signed up to uniform standards of operation in the fight against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers

[2] Now, to the unique challenge of the northeast, the federal government needs to establish 20 battalions of the Nigerian Army in strategic towns across the region. Maiduguri, Dikwa, Bama, Mafa, Biu, Gwoza, Chibok, Dambo, Kukawa, Monguno, Magumeri, Damaturu, Geidam, Potiskum, Nguru, Fika, Gombe, Nafada, Kaltungo, Dukku, Kumo, Jalingo, Bauchi, Yola, Gashaka, Wukari, Ganye, Mubi, etc, must all have military bases

[3] President Tinubu then needs to get the Nigerian Army to plant rows of trees along the country’s borders with Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic to actually tell us where Nigeria starts. They should be painted green-white-green. This needs to form the basis of a future walled border

[4] In Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the governments then need to offer free uniforms and school meals to all youths to encourage education. An emphasis should be placed on training wildlife rangers, veterinary doctors and animal specialists

[5] Under a United Nations programme, we then need to get the Lake Chad Basin Authority to create 30,000 jobs in the northeast. This will be achieved by turning the lake into a major tourist attraction similar to say Niagra Falls, building a mega solar farm in Borno State and also opening the world’s largest cattle ranch in Sambisa Forest

[6] Our federal government then needs to build six special high security prisons for Boko Haram and Iswap fighters where they can be trained and equipped with vocational skills

[7] Nigeria then needs to ask its military partners like the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, etc to help her establish a special paramilitary force which will be trained in rescue missions to deal with matters like the Chibok girls. We need a battalion similar to the US Navy Seals or the British SAS

[8] Our federal government then needs to establish a special anti-terrorist brigade in say Damaturu. No armed group should be able to hold the country to ransom as herdsmen, kidnappers and bandits are currently doing

[9] President Tinubu should then double soldiers allowances and offer a special bonus to anyone asked to serve in the northeast

[10] Then President Tinubu should designate Taraba State as an ecological national park. We should aim to make it the world’s largest wildlife zone bigger than the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara

ayoakinfe@gmail.com