Truth need not be cosmeticised, for it is superficially attractive, although bitter to work with due to the capricious way it strikes those who are blind to it. Without much circumlocution, many things have been said about the recently introduced security outfits, the big question is, could Operation Amotekun and Shege-Ka-Fasa be the panaceas for avert insecurity portending giant obstacles to the peace and tranquility of this nation? Maybe.
In the northern part of the country, peace seems to be a paradise we haven’t seen in this age following the Boko Haram attacks on the innocent people of the Northeast, the herdsmen killing of farmers, kidnapping and other forms of insecurities ravaging Nigeria, thereby plummeting peace to the journey of eternal silence. It would be impolitic of the government to hasten to solution rather than constructively looking at the causes of this predicament.
Recently, it was stated in the World Bank report that 87 per cent of the poor in the country reside in the North. It was also gathered that 13 million to 14 million out-of-school children were in the northern part of Nigeria. What a time bomb for the future of this nation.
As regards poverty, the fight against this epidemic in the northern part of the nation is germane and sacrosanct in the fight against insecurities. When a man is viciously stricken by the blow of poverty, obviously, his sense of virtue is likely to varnish in the course of striving to survive. Striving to survive is what has resulted in the highest level of crime standing as the giant constraint towards the progress of this nation.
It is said that education has the keys to the development of any society and he who opens a school door, closes a prison. There is need to send back to school, over 14 million of out-of-school children in the North if the government desires to end crime. Because, it’s apparent that many of those committing crime in that part of the country are grossly ignorant to what they are doing, even when they think what they are doing is right. The North as a region must brace itself and reverse the ugly trends.
Moreover, the rising rate of banditry, kidnapping, abduction, human trafficking, recurring herders-farmers clashes, etc. cannot be overemphasized as these menaces are dangerously threatening peace, stability and even corporate existence of western Nigeria has given birth to the launching of Operation Amotekun to avert the looming reign of terror that may wash away the peace of this region.
Notwithstanding, the fears that such a bold move championed by politicians would in the future be hijacked to unleash terror on political opponents seem to be heightened as the paymaster of the security outfit would be the governors of the South-West.
Nevertheless, the provision of logistics, arms, ammunition including financially strengthened (salaries) by the government should be meticulously delved into. There has been a growing impotence of the government in some South-West region regarding salary payment of workers in the states. Thus, if they are not capable of financing the security outfit, it would be wiser if they didn’t start what they cannot sustain.
The aftermath of starting what they cannot sustain may lead to the use of arms and ammunition given to the security personnel for protection being used otherwise in the course of putting foods on the table for survival resulting in the act of quelling a raging fire with gasoline.
Ayobami Abdullahi,
Abuja
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