By Dr. Abiodun Raufu
As Nigeria drift into a state of complete lawlessness and anarchy, I have wondered why a greater premium has not been placed on the issue of security in the country beyond the half measures we have witnessed so far. Surely, there have been brief moments of relief to offer false hope of peace. Suddenly, another round of violent orgies envelope the country. From the southwest where the shattered serenity of Igangan, and Owo by terrorists are sad reminders of an unsafe country to Kaduna, Maiduguri, and other places across the country where bandits roam freely, no one is safe, including the corrupt elite which has been largely responsible for the country’s pathetic situation.
Terrorists and bandits hold sway in the countryside, highways and wantonly venture into cities to kill score of helpless citizens undeterred, while other types of criminals from thugs and area boys rule the urban landscape, taking advantage of fellow citizens.
The rest of the world has already given up on Nigeria. In the western world, Nigeria is perceived as a failed state, which could easily descend into unredeemable chaos. For many Nigerians, living in Nigeria is like trying to survive in the jungle where life is short, nasty and brutish.
It’s fair to say that the Buhari presidency cannot be expected to do more than what it has done with regard to the security situation in this country. But its best has painfully not been enough. If in doubt, check the newspapers and the social media and you will observe the incredible number of violent stories that are reported non-stop across the country every day.
Yet, without law and order, there can be no development. You build the railway, bandits bomb the railway lines, and kidnap train passengers. You build roads, citizens can’t travel on them because bandits are on the highways. The situation is so bad that the people are now sleeping with both eyes open.
With the Buhari administration on its way out and unlikely to do any better than it has done since 2015, we can only look in the direction of the next political dispensation and what the two gladiators in the 2023 presidential election, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Alhaji Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have to offer
As it were, Tinubu has just won a hard-fought presidential primary and has been busy trying to unite a fractious party behind his candidature. Atiku having won the PDP ticket a bit earlier has been hard at work. He also has the advantage of understanding the inner workings of government at the national level having served as Nigeria’s vice president for eight years between 1999 to 2007.
He has started well by quickly committing his seven-point national security vision into writing. As a criminology scholar, I am enamoured by his proposed solutions to the Nigerian security challenge. I like what he has to offer and believe that it can be the bedrock of Nigeria’s rebirth.
Atiku talked about restructuring the country’s security architecture to meet the challenges of terrorism and evolving criminal activities as well as training security personnel to equip them with the means of coping with the challenges of 21st Century security demands. Even more encouraging is his argument about the need for merit and professionalism in the recruitment, appointment, and promotion of our security personnel to promote efficient delivery of service and enhancement of law and order. He observed and rightly so that the current level of security manpower cannot meet the challenge of securing over 200 million Nigerians. His answer to this is to increase the number of law enforcement personnel to one million, translating to one police officer for every 200 Nigerians. This is more than adequate in meeting the UN requirement of one police officer for 450 citizens.
Obviously, terrorism has been a major security challenge in the last few decades. One major challenge of the terrorism in Nigeria has been the absence of a dynamic approach to dealing with terroristic threats. Atiku’s blueprint recognises the need to re-strategise the war against terrorism and his approach is to engage state and non-state actors in theatres of conflict across Nigeria.
Atiku’s proposal also broached the issue of police-community relations. Policing is everybody’s duty. The legitimacy of the Nigerian Police Force and the efficiency of policing the country are enhanced when there is mutual trust between the police and the community. Criminals live and operate in the community. Everywhere across the world, the most effective policing is anchored on proactive strategies that incorporate the community in crime control as well as collaboration and synergy among the various law enforcement agencies.
To cap it all, Atiku realise that motivation and a decent welfare package for law enforcement personnel is essential to national security, hence he highlighted the necessity of implementing a special presidential welfare initiative that will ginger law enforcement personnel to give their best to their country.
The bottom line is that policing is the duty of everyone and it is good that the Atiku Abubaka has put together an excellent strategy to secure Nigerians and provide a platform for socio-economic growth.
Dr. Raufu, an Assistant Professor of Criminology at Southern University and A&M College, USA, is a former MD/Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror Newspapers. He recently contested for House of Representatives seat in Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Ibadan, Oyo State.
