By DOTUN IBIWOYE

Former Minister of Defence, Gen. Godwin Abbe, wants a review of Nigeria’s security and foreign policy in order to avoid a repeat of  the recent bomb blast at the United Nations headquarters in Abuja.

The Boko Haram sect claimed responsibility for the attack.

Abbe said that a review of the nation’s security would bring about a new approach in dealing with terrorists.

The man, who was Defence Minister when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua gave amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, was also the chairman of the presidential panel on disarmament in the region.

”The UN headquarters bomb blast  is very unfortunate. This has given a new challenge to  our security. We need to review our security and upgrade our foreign policy. Anyone who feels that terrorism that we hear everyday is far from his place should have a rethink. It is at our doorstep”, he said.

“When we review our security, we will be able to tackle any existing  terrorist group and others that are planning to start. Terrorism is not beyond Nigeria.”

On the criticism of the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan, the former minister explained that the president is doing his best.

“President Goodluck Jonathan is doing his best. His approach to security is good enough. We as a nation need to look deeper beyond Boko Haram because the bomb blast at the United Nations headquarters in Abuja has defined the real face of terrorism. We have to start thinking like people living with terrorists”, Abbe emphasised.

“For now, we can still nip Boko Haram in the bud. We have to act before it gets out of  hand.

The entire nation has to sit up because security is not only the duty of security agents. Every Nigerian has to be directly or indirectly a security agent. The activities of the Boko Haram have caused bloodshed that cuts across tribes and cultures. It  is no more a regional sentiment. It is now a national security approach.

“I am sending my heartfelt condolence to the fmilies of the UN staff that lost their lives in the blast. Nigerians are not terrorists. We are very hard working people. Just a few group of people will not succeed in allowing this nation to be labeled as an terrorist state. All of us who live here know that we are not terrorists and, by collective efforts, we will  overcome all these”.