Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday blamed the Federal Government for the ethnic agitations across the country.

He said the failure of the state to provide basic needs for the people had forced them to seek succour in their respective ethnic groups.

He said the political elite had failed the people through looting of funds meant for their social welfare.

Osinbajo spoke during the 50th conference of the Nigerian Law Teachers Association held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

The acting President said most of the security problems confronting the nation were self-inflicted, resulting from corrupt practices, injustices, among others.

He said it was the duty of the three arms of government to provide the enabling environment for the enhancement of quality life for the people.

He said, “The Boko Haram in the North-East, militants in the Niger Delta and farmer/herdsmen clashes were as a result of poverty.

“A lot of these agitations centred on the failure of the state to create an inclusive society, a failure to guarantee the security of lives and property by the agencies charged with the responsibility and the failure to build trust around the rule of law and justice system of administration.”

Osinbajo said lack of provision of basic needs of life to the people remained the greatest source of tension in the country.

He decried the level of unemployment which had made the Nigerian youth vulnerable to be recruited as kidnappers, anti-social agitators and violence of all sorts.

Osinbajo, who said he started teaching law in 1981, described law teachers as the custodians and creators of law.

 He added “We are the thinkers for our system of justice. We have often contested the usefulness of law to the society.”

While noting that the law teachers’ forum offered them the opportunity to interact on the fundamental issues and ideas that bound them together, Osinbajo advised them to come up with  solutions to the Nigerian jurisprudence and legal system.

Earlier, Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, expressed worry over the rate at which criminals were being granted bail by courts, describing the trend as ugly.

He called on the participants to take advantage of the conference to proffer solutions to such problems.

Punch