Away from the divergent opinions that have greeted the state government’s plans to purchase two helicopters for security surveillance, to the remarkable success recorded in addressing the menace of insecurity in the state.
As far as Oyo State is concerned, the gains of relative peace and stability under Governor Makinde have helped restore investors’ confidence, attract more tourists, and renew the hope of many across the state’s length and breadth. Like Oliver Twist, that is not to say more cannot be done.
Take 2019. No sooner had Governor Seyi Makinde taken the baton of leadership and stewardship than the rampant cases of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robbery, peaked across the state, sending shivers up the spines of residents of the state and beyond.
While the governor’s efforts in tackling the challenges slowly materialized, the Punch Newspaper, for instance, threw a punchy editorial, criticizing the Governor’s handling of the security in the state. Titled Makinde, Insecurity Is Getting Messier in Oyo State, the editorial punched the governor in the stomach: Kidnapping for ransom, highway robbery and herdsmen attacks are escalating to dangerous proportions in different parts of the state, affecting residents, expatriates and business. The paper noted that Makinde will undoubtedly require new energy, initiatives, and uncommon courage to overcome this messy security challenge.
That editorial was published on the 25th December, 2020, the same day Governor Makinde marked his 53rd birthday. For the newspaper, there was no better way to join the governor’s birthday celebration than to remind him of his stewardship and leadership to the people. In between when that eye-opening editorial broke and now, a lot has happened that has effectively restored calmness, orderliness, stability, and peace in the state. True to the Punch words, Governor Makinde has indeed found new energy, initiatives, and uncommon courage in cleaning up the mess of security challenges.
In principle but not in practice, Nigerian governors are often regarded as the chief security officers of their respective states. That each governor presides over the affairs of their state, controls the political apparatuses, receives monthly security votes, which runs into billions of naira, and collaboratively works hand in hand with federally controlled security architectures to guarantee maximum safety and security of the people.
However, the reality across the state of the federation has negated consistently negated that bogus claim. More than ever, it is now evident that insecurity has persisted in Nigeria, and particularly Oyo State, partly because of the centralization of the command and control of the security plus the nationalization of local security issues.
“This country is too problematic to be trusted with one level of policing policing” J J Omojuwa once argued in one of his opinions published on ThisDay newspaper “it just cannot work, it has not worked, and it will never work”.
As the likes of Dauda Lawal, Zamfara State governor, have repeatedly asserted: In Nigeria, no governor has the power to fire or hire any incompetent heads of security agencies. Only a select group of people in Abuja gets to decide who helps or harms the security of the lives and properties of the people across the country. Of course, Governor Makinde inherited this faulty arrangement. As he settled into his duties, criminals went on a rampage. For many months after he was sworn in, Makinde’s government contended with many battles. Insecurity stood out of the pack. For months, the governor’s security approach seems to be cosmetic, trying to assure residents of his efforts while charging the security personnel to up their game. Unfortunately, the spate of insecurity ransacking the state at that time was multidimensional and multifaceted. That is, it was impossible to adopt a one-size-fits-all solution for all. The five zones that made up the state had different security challenges that needed curative solutions and approaches.
In the Oke-Ogun zone, for example, herdsmen militia, kidnappers, and armed robbers formed a sinister triumvirate. They made life hellish for residents, especially farmers and travelers. As expected, the disturbing activities of the criminals created an atmosphere of fear, panic, and apprehension. Helpless and hopeless, residents, at that time, cried to the governor for help. The likes of Iba Gani Adams, the leader of the Odua People’s Congress and the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, even warned that terrorists had infiltrated the forests in that part of the state and could launch major attacks soon. In Ibarapa, the gruesome killing of Fatai Aborode, a prominent farmer in the area, by armed robbers and persistent herdsmen attacks forced the youths of the community to stage a protest at the governor’s office. In the heart of Ibadan, kidnapping became prevalent undermining any developmental efforts.
“In June (2020), robbers made life extremely unpleasant for different communities in the state capital, including Apete, where some students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, reside”. The paper added that the felons, numbering about 20, invaded the community, robbing up to 40 houses. The 2021 triumphant entry of Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) into the heartland of herder attacks seems to have jolted the governor and his government to take the bull of insecurity by the horns.
Recall the crucial role Governor Makinde played in the formation of Amotekun. Recall his calmness in the face of that utter provocation as well.
Once the dust of the wave of insecurity settled, Governor Makinde went back to the drawing board. Instead of deploying a cosmetic solution to a multifaceted problem, he took his time to find curative approaches that guarantee peace and security in the long term. The result has been phenomenal.
By understanding the intricate web of the security challenges, Governor Makinde was able to dig into the root of the problem. First, by empowering the Amotekun corps while engineering a deeper and profound collaboration among all the security agencies. When for instance the Old Oyo National Park was infiltrated by bandits early this year, Governor Makinde ordered the security agencies, amotekun, local hunters to share intelligence, and flush the bandits out of the forest. In effect, that operation was a huge success in part because of the Governor’s foresight and leadership capacity. Today, travelers and commuters need not worry about their safety while passing the forest where farming, hunting and grazing are outlawed.
While other governors continued to complain at the lopsidedness of the security architecture in the country, rightfully so, Governor Makinde has only carried out and discharged his responsibility with remarkable gusto, one that has caught many of his traducers by surprise.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
