Key Points

• NYSC security awareness training can significantly strengthen early community threat detection.

• FG is urged to expand NYSC security awareness nationwide for safety.

• Youth participation increases as NYSC security awareness efforts continue gaining momentum.

Matthew Ashimolowo, who started the Kingsway International Christian Centre, has asked the Federal Government to include members of the National Youth Service Corps in a national security-awareness program. He said that having them involved would help find threats earlier and make people more aware in their communities.

In an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, the cleric said that Nigeria needs to do more to help with national security efforts. He said that making people more aware of the problem could help reduce the country’s growing insecurity.

A religious leader wants more young people to get involved in security

Ashimolowo said that NYSC members, who already work in communities all over Nigeria, could easily be taught to look for early warning signs. He gave a simple example: corps members who see suspicious behaviour, like drug use or strange behaviour, could tell the police before things get worse and turn into crimes. He said that this grassroots approach would make the country more alert overall and less likely to be attacked.

The pastor also agreed with President Bola Tinubu’s recent order to send more police and soldiers to all parts of the country. He told people to back the president’s efforts and said that Nigeria needed a big change in the fight against crime. He said, “Let’s support our president,” and then he said that more security was still needed in the short term.

Warns against using state police without limits

Ashimolowo supported broader community safety measures, but he warned against the unintended effects of creating state police without strict protections. He was worried that political leaders could use these kinds of forces as personal militias and even turn them into weapons against their enemies.

“This is Nigeria,” he said, remembering many times when public officials went too far with their power. He said again that state policing might work in theory, but if it isn’t properly controlled, it could be used to scare people.

Ashimolowo also used Israel’s mandatory military service as an example of a successful way to get young people involved in national defence. He said that service between the ages of 18 and 22 helps young people develop a sense of duty, awareness, and collective responsibility.

Insecurity is a threat to young people who are weak

He said that Nigeria’s young population, which is more than 60% under the age of 30, could be vulnerable to financial offers from kidnappers and armed groups. He was worried about how criminal networks affect young people. He said that it was important to build national pride, make the security culture stronger, and give young Nigerians reasons to say no to criminal incentives.

Ashimolowo went on to say that Nigerians are admired across Africa for their strength and talent, and that the country needs to make the most of its intellectual and human resources. He ended by asking people to back leaders’ efforts to bring back stability and put an end to terrorist attacks that have been going on for more than 15 years.