Deteriorating security condition in Oyo state

There is no denying the fact that security of lives and property of the citizens is a bedrock, foundation and watershed for good governance. A good government is saddled with the responsibility of providing adequate security of lives and property for its people and maintenance of security is part of the exclusive list in the federalism. So, it is an executive responsibility to provide it. Any government who fails to provide this will be seen as an irresponsible one.

It will not be a subjective claim to say that the issue of insecurity in Nigeria is a national issue, but the state of insecurity in Oyo state is alarming and needs adequate and immediate attention. Oyo state has now turned to a place of panic where people can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed due to the menace of insecurity. Individuals in the state fear being attacked by hoodlums and armed robbers. One cannot walk on the streets with peace of mind, without looking around for the purpose of protection and vigilance because they don’t know the angle where threat can emerge.

We are not trying to say the governor isn’t playing his role in securing the state. We should not close our eyes to the fact that there are measures put in place to sustain peace in the state, starting from the procurement of patrol vehicles, communication equipment to security agencies and establishment of Southwest security network, known as Amotekun, and also setting up of security post at Onigambari village along Ibadan-Ijebu Ode road to take care of the Kidnapping along that axis.

Despite all these measures put in place, the issue of insecurity is still increasing day-by-day. The government needs to stop blaming the opposition and face reality by looking into how the issue of insecurity will be tackled. Governor Seyi Makinde had blamed the challenges of insecurity on population explosion, saying “we know that because of the policies of this administration, a lot of people are coming into Oyo State, and when you have more and more people coming in, it will come with its own set of challenges and with opportunities as well. In the days ahead, we will also let the people of Oyo State know the things we are doing as far as security is concerned. And when they see security operatives all around, they must give them total support”.

Personally, I can’t fathom the relationship between insecurity and population and how population can cause insecurity. What I know for a fact is that we can’t be killing individuals to reduce population in order to attain the security in the state. Maybe the current administration can ask those in power or those in the security agencies during the past administrations for help; maybe they can have a clue.

Abdullahi Abdulhadi Akorede

[email protected]

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