By McPhilips Nwachukwu

Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, renowned novelist, Professor Chinua Achebe and nineteen other distinguished Nigerians have been inducted into the Nigerian hall of fame by the Academy of Letters and Science at the occasion of the 2010 Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, award nite for literature and science.

Also inducted were the pioneer black Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, late Professor Kenneth Dike, late Professor Olikoye Ransom-Kuti and late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

Speaking on the topic en- titled; Time to Say Yes to Nigeria, in his capacity as the keynote speaker, Chima Ibeneche, who is the Managing Director of the nation’s number one Gas giant, expressed disappointment with the security situation in Nigeria, especially at this time that the country gears towards another democratic experiment.

While acknowledging the several strides that Nigeria has accomplished in her journey to nationhood in the last fifty years ranging from improved telecommunication system, aviation and peaceful co-habitation in the face of threatening existential pressures from ethnicity, religion and resource control, Ibeneche argued that the failing indices of the country’s security status poses higher danger to collective growth and peace.

“Crime statistics remained scary despite the fact that crime was grossly under-stated because of public distrust of the police which contributed to under-reporting of crimes.

“The crime wave was exacerbated by the worsening economic conditions and by ineffectiveness, inefficiency and corruption of police and the entire system of administration and justice,” he said.

The Gas chief, who apparently became miffed by the number of disturbing cases of kidnapping of oil and gas workers, a situation that has become elevated to a professional business in the South Eastern part of the country, doubted the existence of government in Nigeria.

According to him, “Today belongs to the boys, pirates, oil thieves, armed robbers and robber politicians. The rise in militia-like vigilantes such as the Bakasi Boys, MEND and OPC may have justifications, but their existence pose a serious threat to the sovereignty of this nation.”