Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande has advised Governor Seyi Makinde to be proactive whenever issues that may cause breach of peace arise.
Akande, who was reacting to the violence that engulfed Sasa area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital since last week Thursday, said the crisis would have been averted if the governor had reacted as and when due.
Calling for calm between the Bruce warring groups, Akande, who is a director at the Centre for Presidential Studies at the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, said it was regrettable that what could have been settled amicably was allowed to fester.
“Once again, like I have always advised Governor Seyi Makinde, he needs to be proactive when it comes to security issue. As a governor, he has access to Information than anyone. What he needs at that point in time is to call his security advisers and act almost immediately. More than ever, Governor Makinde needs to be told that security is the foundation of everything any political office holder may want to achieve. You don’t take it levity.
“The Sasa issue started on Thursday. The government should have waded in almost immediately. It should not have festered till Saturday. He should have mobilized security agencies there that night to forestall the unnecessary crisis. Remember I advised the other time that Governor Makinde needs to smoothen his relationship with men of the Nigeria Police Force. If there had not been any loopholes, this would have been almost unnecessary. In terms of security, Governor Makinde needs to be told he is not doing well. The way he handled the EndSARs and Ibarapa issues is nothing to write home about.
“He needs to build a solid relationship with the security agencies. He does not need anybody to take him to the inspector general of police before doing so. The idea of giving handouts to thugs should stop. It is either you look for ways to get them engaged productively or book the troublesome ones among them. Moreover, he needs to convene a meeting involving everybody that has anything to do with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and other related unions. He needs to find a way all of them can work together, without troubles. By making Oyo peaceful, our internally generated revenue will shore up and the environment would be friendly to investors. Security is paramount to achieving this,” the Otu, Itesiwaju local government area born chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, added.
