Steemit Engagement Challenge (SEC)| S12W3- "Security Matters"

Psalm 127:1

Unless Jehovah builds the house, It is in vain that its builders work hard on it. Unless Jehovah guards the city, It is in vain that the guard stays awake (NWT)

I want to first of all acknowledge the fact that the ultimate security lies with the Almighty who is more stronger and more knowledgeable than everyone. Like the quote goes, unless he guards the city or house, in vain are the guards keep awake.

One of the foremost needs of man is security. Wherever we are, security is foremost in our mind. Even our young ones talk about it. Whether we are in our houses, on the road, workplace, workshops, etc, we always arrange for security. But it may be funny to know that when you ask people what security means, they tend to lack words to explain it.

Let me now use the contest tips to explain this topic.

In your own words what do you understand by the word security

The word security implies the state or condition of feeling free from anything that causes a person to be afraid. The individual have no doubt as to whether he is secure or not. It is a state of tranquility, protection, peace of mind which envelops a person when nothing is disturbing him. The person is free from fear, danger, anxiety and even doubt.

Security is maintained to ensure that people's lives and properties are protected.

The other meaning for security is related to finance which does not in any way concern the scope of our engagement.

In your country, in what ways has the government been able to keep the citizens safe?

It is the responsibility of any government to provide security for its citizens. This is among the most important functions of the government.

In my country, the government have provided various agencies to ensure that security and protection of the lives and properties of its citizens are taken care of.

We have the Nigeria Airforce, the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Army. These protects the borders and territorial integrity of my country, whether in the air, sea or land.

Apart from these, we have some other agencies that helps to keep law and order and protect peoples lives and properties. The Nigerian Police force is entrusted to provide civil protection to citizens. It is their core responsibility to ensure that the citizens are safe. Any internal security concerns are being taken care of by them.

All other mini-security agencies work under the umbrella of the Nigerian Police Force.

Personally, what do you do for yourself or your family to be safe in your town or country?

First of all, the main source of security comes from the Almighty. However, as humans we have our own little role to play to ensure our safety.

• We need to have to secure our homes by putting doors in our homes and fixing them well. Many also fix burglary proofs (known as iron protectors) at their windows and doors to further protect the house, making entry into it more difficult.

	this is the iron protector in my house
	this is a wooden protector that we fixed

At the at the balcony roof.

• Another way to ensure safety is to live a simple life. Not living a life of showing off what we have materially. Showing off can be done by putting on gold ornaments; - rings, chains, watches in public places. Bragging about what we have or the properties and other assets we have acquired whenever we meet people, trying to impress them. These way of life attract a lot of security concerns to ourselves and families.

So when we live a simple life, it helps to give us a bit of security too.

• I also tell my family members not to leave anything of importance outside the house as it could attract unwanted guest.

A little story I have about this type of situation has to do with the theft that occured when we were still living in our former city of residence. Because the house was fenced, we always leave our small generator outside. In fact, even our landlady that has big generator also leaves hers outside until one day when thieves came in and stole the two generators. Then, we started keeping things inside the house.

The next theft was about my 25L water drum that I kept outside with water filled. The thieve quietly emptied the drum and went away with it without our notice.
So,it is important to keep things inside instead

• I also ensure that my locks and keys are in good condition. Ensure that I make friends with trustworthy and reliable persons, not individuals with questionable characters. Because according to a security source * most security breaches must have an accomplice who knows the security place thoroughly*.

Have you experienced or heard of any case of insecurity (robbery or kidnap)? What happened?

I have not personally experienced any serious case of robbery apart from the two cases below and other little ones like the 2 cases I narrated earlier on this post.

• one of such ones one faithful night when I was pregnant for my second child and My husband came in late from work on that day and he was not feeling well. He had fever and was shivering a lot. However, he managed to get up from the couch he was lying on, locked the entrance door and went back to lie on the couch. Eventually, all of us fell asleep in the sitting room.
  That night, we forgot to lock up the windows.in our room. My bag was close to the window, having my Bible, watchtower magazines, watch and some paper notes.
  The hoodlums used a long stick to get the bags out of the window, took what they felt was valuable to them and left. We did not know even in the morning that a robbery had taken place. It was a neighbour that knocked on our door to ask us why we left those things outside. It was then that it dawned on us and my neighbour that robbers came last night.
  Thankfully, nothing of serious importance was lost to them. Since then, I find it difficult to leave my windows open at night.

• in another occasion, they sneaked into my seating room when I was out and only my two kids were inside the room, they made away with my mini laptop and my Samsung tablet. The kids weren't aware of it until I come back. The kids had left the kitchen exit door open and that was how the hoodlum gained entrance into the seating room.

• as for serious cases of kidnaps, I have heard countless of them but not a close family member. It was a friend that they kidnapped and after several threats and beatings, they released him in exchange of a ransom,

There was a time it was the order of the day in my former city of residence. In fact, it wasn't funny at all but I am thankful that the situation was arrested. At least, it us no longer as it used to be.

• I also heard of a serious robbery soon after we moved into our current house. The robbery took place in our former house where we just moved out and that was just 2 days after we had moved. A friend that was also like a mother to me saw me and narrated the incidence to me, how they almost killed a neighbor and injured so many, even made away with large sums of cash. In fact, she was thinking we hadn't moved out, and that the person they was us when after few days she didn't see us in the compound. But she later learned that we weren't the ones that were attacked.

So many other cases like that. In fact, insecurity has threatened mankind a lot. Though man has been trying there best to be secure, but things are just getting out of hands that we are now living each day at a time. We can only hope for the time when the whole earth will be under the rulership of the Almighty himself and then, security will be assured.

What do you think is the best way to keep a home secure.

° We should avoid bad associations.

° We should not live a flamboyant lifestyle.

° We should ensure that our doors and windows are locked whenever we are not around.

° we should be careful of what we discusse with people.

° Restrict what you post about yourself on social media.

° Be alert in your environment to know when suspicious movements are seen.

° Teach young ones about security measures and never to talk to strangers.

° The security personnel phone numbers should be accessible to all in the home.

Conclusion

Security is paramount in our lives. Whether at home, on the street, at the market or anywhere else, we need to be attentive to security details and movements around us.

We need to teach our children to be security conscious wherever they are. Helping them to realize that they are the first security point.

@patjewell @hariadi and @pelon53, can you please talk about the security situation of your countries? I will like to know via your entry in this contest