The former Governor of Niger State, Babaginda Aliyu, has slammed governors who blame Federal Government for the security challenges in their states.

He argued that no competent governor would cry to the Federal Government over insecurity.

The erstwhile governor stated this at the graduation ceremony for the Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 at the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, on Saturday

According to him, “no competent governor should “cry” to the centre anytime there is a security challenge.”

He questioned how the governors used their security votes and the actions they took on security reports provided for them.

Aliyu said, “By the time I became governor of Niger state, for me, I knew their (DSS) importance. So I related very well with the department. Every day I read their reports, and they helped me tremendously.

“They helped me dislodge bandits. They suggested that I hire a helicopter to go around the boundaries of my state.

“I did, and it helped. So please, if any governor complains to you that he’s not in charge of security, he’s either a liar or incompetent or does not know what he’s doing. Many of them who complain do not even read the reports.

“I was aware, as chairman of Northern Governors Forum at that time, that some of them appointed some people that they were sending the reports to. I made sure I read every report. And if in two days I don’t see a report, I would call. You cannot go on blaming the federal government when you are in a position to do so many things.

“Why the security votes? Where does it go if you have to complain to the federal government? The security votes are there for you to assist the security agencies to do their job in your area.”

The former governor also took a swipe at those against the Tax Reform Bills, urging them to read the documents.

Aliyu also criticised the government for poor communication about the policy, adding that the citizens needed to understand that no policy benefits everyone equally.

He said, “Many of the people debating the tax bill have not read it. But again, there is the problem of communication, the government should speak more when the majority of the people are not literate. You should be the first to speak on any major policy, particularly a policy that will bring changes so that the people can understand.”