President Goodluck Jonathan has assured that the political will being demonstrated by his administration in the fight against terrorism in the country will yield the desired result. Jonathan made the promise in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open a two-day National Summit on Security Challenges in Nigeria, jointly sponsored by the Nigeria Police and Vanguard Newspapers.

Represented by retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade, the Minister of Police Affairs, Jonathan said that the time had come to rise and address the challenge. He said it was in realisation of this that a Presidential Committee to Re-organise the police was recently set up having observed some deficiencies in the capacity and professionalism of the force.

``A lot of emphasis is being placed on training and retraining, improving the sophistication of weaponry and equipment, improved welfare of officers and men and the image of the police.

“I am optimistic that the political will being demonstrated by this administration will yield the desired result in the fight against terrorism, improve crime investigation and enhance public order policing.

“This will guarantee the ultimate protection of lives and property and law enforcement in our society,’’ he said.

The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Gambo Jimeta, a former Inspector General of Police, described the security situation in the country as ``self-inflicted’’. Jimeta blamed it on successive administrations, which he said, neglected the security agencies, the ``organ of stability’’, in terms of funding.

 The Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, noted that security was fundamental to existence of any society. Abubakar, however, said that as a nation grows in terms of development, the nature of the threats it faced become sophisticated.