Odi strategy can tackle insecurity, says leadership advocate
Public leadership advocate, Rotimi Rhodes-Vivour, has urged Federal Government to adopt new strategies to tackle insecurity. He called for adoption of approaches deployed by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in addressing
- By Zainab Olufemi
Public leadership advocate, Rotimi Rhodes-Vivour, has urged Federal Government to adopt new strategies to tackle insecurity.
He called for adoption of approaches deployed by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in addressing the Odi crisis.
Rhodes-Vivour, a Public Leadership Credential candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, said this in a statement, stressing a more strategic and balanced approach to tackling Nigeria’s security challenges.
He noted that insecurity in the country has lingered for decades, with many interventions proving difficult to sustain. He, however, cited the handling of Odi crisis in Bayelsa under Obasanjo as a notable example of effective response.
Giving a background, he recalled that Odi was engulfed in crisis in November 1999 following the killing of police officers by militants, which heightened tensions in the area.
According to him, Obasanjo’s response was multi-dimensional, beginning with dialogue and engagement with key stakeholders, including community leaders, to address the root causes of the conflict.
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He added that while dialogue was prioritised, the administration also carried out targeted military operations to neutralise those responsible for the violence, rather than adopting indiscriminate force.
Rhodes-Vivour noted that the intervention extended beyond restoring order, as efforts were made to reconciliation and reconstruction, including rebuilding infrastructure and reintegrating affected persons.
Drawing lessons for current realities, he emphasised that dialogue must remain central to any security framework, noting that engagement with communities would help uncover underlying causes of conflicts.
He also advocated precision in military operations, warning that the use of excessive force could aggravate tensions and erode trust.
On post-conflict measures, he called for deliberate investment in reconstruction and reintegration programmes, including education, skills acquisition and psychological support for victims of insurgency.
He maintained that a comprehensive strategy combining dialogue, targeted operations and post-conflict rebuilding remains critical to addressing Nigeria’s growing insecurity.
