We Must All Get Together To Tame Insecurity
SECURITY is the lifeline, powerhouse and the mitochondria of every nation, Nigeria inclusive. Checkmating insecurities in a diverse nation as Nigeria requires the cooperation and support of all and sundry. As a keen observer and a Paramount Traditional Ruler, I cannot but commend the founding fathers who harmonized the conglomerates into a single entity in 1914. And as patriots, we must at all costs be ready to defend the unity and strengthen the security of Nigeria as an entity.
Nigeria’s security space is currently under siege. At this critical moment, Nigeria needs everyone to nip in the bud the recurrent kidnapping, banditry and terrorism plaguing the nation. I’m compelled to write this letter as a father to the nation and offer my royal words of advice laden with solutions.
The recent security threat emanating from incessant kidnapping by bad elements or alleged Fulani herdsmen calls for an urgent panacea. I’ve suggested to the last administration both long term and short- term solutions.
The kidnapping in western part of Nigeria is alleged to be masterminded by the Fulani herdsmen believed to know the nooks and crannies of our bushes. This claim has not exonerated even the Yorubas. Evidence of some arrests recorded in the past shown greater percent of kidnapping in the South west are carried out by the bad elements among the Fulanis.
The Fulani herdsmen are practically Nigerians. They exercise their civic rights during elections. They participate in the process to elect new leaders but are not properly integrated into the society during the sharing of the dividends of democracy. They live a deplorable life with no access to social amenities such as roads, pipe borne water, electricity, hospitals, schools etc. Only animals are so neglected in the bush and hunted only when one is hungry. We can’t continue treating them awfully and expect them to treat us well.
More so, as the number one citizen, and very active leader, I’m optimistic your administration will ensure Fulanis in the bush are catered for. A special national programme should be launched with effective monitoring to ensure Fulani children are in the classroom. Amenities should equally be extended to their doorsteps. Extending social amenities will make them flow along and bridge the social gap.
Arresting those children from the bush to the four walls of classrooms requires the promotion of ranching. Understanding is key while education is the door to peace. I want to appeal to your excellency to assent a legislation that will compel education for children and enact strict punishment for parents refusing to educate their children. Priority can be placed on the Fulanis with preferential monitoring of nomadic settlements. This option will secure their future to be engineers, pilots, doctors, Professors, kings, bankers , ambassadors etc and not kidnappers. My domain is the highest host of the fulanis in Osun State. Before the escalation of the kidnapping menace, I visited the Fulanis in my domain mandating formal education and threatening to arrest parents of teen children rearing cattle during school hours. They obliged although not completely. Recently, Seriki Fulani brought one of their children who graduated from university to my palace.
The government must invest heavily in sponsoring few of the Fulanis on ranching. The few trained will train others ( training the trainers). I have done it in the past. I tutored Fulanis in my area on the ranch and provision of hay. You walk your cattle miles to feed them. Gained nutrients almost used while covering miles walking them back home. Even in the course of covering miles of journey in the bush, there are many dangers. The federal government should legislate on advanced training on cattle raising as obtainable in developed nations. Construct ranch in your personal land, and feed them with hay. Hay is the best food for the cattle. There is little nutrient in silage.
This singular effort will immensely address many abnormalities in cattle raising and bring sanity to our society. Without training, not much can be done to address Fulani herdsmen and farmers clashes. Enforcing a strict penalty/ punishment may follow.
Furthermore, let me share the story of a particular boy. The boy is very stubborn. He is a troublemaker. He has been arrested and released several times. The stakeholders in the town held a meeting on his issue with the cooperation of his father. One of them volunteered to employ him to man his gate. The boy was invited and he gladly accepted the offer. He will be in the man’s gate all through. Since then, there has been relative peace in the land. The bottom line of my narration is, the government should work more on employment opportunities. When the youth are engaged, insecurity will be at low ebb. An idle hand is the devil’s workshop.
As a responsible father, I will never keep mute when my subjects are victims of insecurity. No father will pray to lose his children. No father will want to be childless and turn barren at menopause. A surveillance jet can be deployed to comb our bushes. Our security should be more digital to checkmate the hideouts. The state policing can also be considered. Additionally, growth is gradual. Our security should go digital. If not now, who else is our Messiah? Nigeria security should be strengthened. The boost can optionally be assured through mandatory and timely provision of electronic national identity cards for everyone on Nigeria soil such that the security force can accost and demand for identification anywhere, anytime. With a digital ID card, the security can track suspicious members of the society.
Your excellency, I want to appeal for a quick response to enact a law in collaboration with the national assembly for quick trial and execution of culpable kidnappers. There is no justifiable excuse for injustice. Injustice is only justified when matching penalty is meted. The change is in action. Let two, three to four culpable kidnappers taste death, then, we will breathe the air of peace.
In conclusion, let me admonish Nigerians. Nigeria security architecture cannot be strengthened in isolation. Nigerians must volunteer to support the service chiefs and other security agencies in intelligence gatherings. Community policing should be encouraged. They should be organized to promote the streetto- street security network. We can’t enhance the security architecture without involvement of all and sundry. I’m hopeful of a greater nation. It’s left to us, all of us.