Newscenter Media News 
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has identified poverty as the major cause of insecurity in Nigeria.
Obasa, who spoke on Sunday, also noted that the security of lives and properties in the country is not the duty of the police alone, but the responsibility of everyone.
He made these declarations in his keynote address at the 31st Pre-Ramadan lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni.
The event was attended by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is’haq Oloyede; the association’s President, Dr. Abdulmumini Alao; Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, Dr. Ridwan Jamiu; and the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur.
Obasa, in a statement made available to DAILY POST at the end of the lecture, noted that poverty is the primary factor responsible for insecurity in the country.
He further described security not merely as physical safety, but as the alleviation of poverty, which he identified as the root cause of insecurity.
He then used the opportunity to appeal to political officeholders to uphold transparency, fairness, and service to humanity.
He also urged political officeholders and well-to-do Nigerians to support the needy with whatever resources they have, adding that such efforts would make life more meaningful for all.
Obasa said, “There must be an input. What we have to do to get to heaven is no different from what we have to do for the security of our society. Insecurity is a function of poverty.
“Security is not about the police alone; it is about all of us. It is a collective spiritual duty. Every time you see people gathered on your street, don’t just drive past; make inquiries as to who they are.
“In governance, we must uphold transparency, fairness, and service to humanity. In the community and in the family, we must be agents of compassion, supporting the weak, feeding the hungry, and uplifting the oppressed.”