National Leader of All
Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday called for dialogue
between governors of South-West states and the Attorney-General and Minister of
Justice over the zone’s security initiative, code-named “Amotekun”. In a
statement titled “Public Discourse on Amotekun” in Lagos, Tinubu said he did
not believe the Western Nigeria Security Network was intended to put the
country at risk.
He said that dialogue between the two parties
would address the grey areas. The APC leader, who was reacting for the first
time since the issue became a national debate, however, said what could undo
the country was the negative commentaries and “the dangerous rhetoric of those
who should know better.” He added: “Those claiming that this limited,
inoffensive addition to security threatens the Republic have taken themselves
upon a madcap excursion.
“Those claiming the
Federal Government seeks to terribly suppress the South West have also lost
their compass. “Those who occupy these two extremes have sunken into the dark
recesses of fear and political paranoia that can undo a country if such
sentiments are allowed to gestate. “This issue(Amotekun) has dominated recent
discourse and media headlines. Distilled to its basics, it concerns how best
state governments can assist with the safety and security of their residents.
“This is a matter of
serious concern entitled to sober thought. However, it has been turned to a
political tug of war, fierce and often unthinking rhetoric, for and against,
has crossed the lips of too many Nigerians. “More subjective than objective
thinking has been the fuel of this outburst. Question those in favour of
Amotekun, most have but the vaguest notion about. it. “They know few details
yet vigorously attribute to its opponents the most negative intentions. “Ask
those who oppose Amotekun, they are equally ignorant of its provisions; They
oppose the initiative not on its merits but merely because it was proposed by
their political opponents or because they don’t see an avenue for personal gain
from it “While colourful, the rhetoric has been disconcerting. How people have
mishandled this matter demonstrates that we still have far to go in perfecting
democracy.” Tinubu said he did not see malign intent in the differences of
opinion between South West governors as authors of Amotekun and the
Attorney-General as the primary law enforcement officer of the country.
The APC chieftain added
that the differing positions reflected what the governors thought they should
do to protect the people and what the Attorney-General believed he could do to
protect the Constitution. He said the issue of Amotekun was a step in the
evolution of the country’s federalism. “This is an opportunity to more clearly
define that federalism; but one cannot attain this better, more functional
definition through overblown, emotional language. Objectivity and calmness are
required.
“To a significant
degree, the enduring quality of our republic will be established by the
sagacity with which we handled disagreements regarding the division of power
between federal and state governments. “Such disagreements are inevitable. This
is not the first nor will it be the last. We must devote our energies towards
solving problems rather than amplifying them,” he said. Tinubu said some
elements had wanted his hurried, swift reaction on the issue for adversarial
intent. The APC chieftain added that such elements wanted him to ” misspeak or
misstep in a manner they could twist to their political advantage.” Tinubu said
that he took his time to react on the issue in order not to make hasty,
ill-conceived utterances that could be used by some people to cause problems.
“I believe in this nation and its benign prospects. I dearly love its people,
all of them. Over the years of our existence, they have suffered much. “Yet
they still hold forth with heroic patience and an extraordinary optimism borne
of strong faith. “To these people, I owe my best. I shall not treat them
cheaply or bandy their emotions like some errant football.
The welfare of this good
and decent people is my overriding concern,” he said. Tinubu commended
South-West governors for their bold attempt at addressing the security
challenges in their respective states with “Amotekun”. He said when he was
governor of Lagos State, he created the Neighborhood Watch, not to replace the
police, but to complement their efforts in addressing security challenges. He
said judging from the public statements of South-West governors, Amotekun was
meant to be structured along the line of his Neighbourhood Watch to assist the
police in tackling security challenges strictly through information sharing.
The APC chieftain said
as much as he strongly believed in community policing, he did not think
Amotekun should have a regional outlook or be implemented in a way that could
result in problems. “My position on Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there
are several organisational and functional aspects of the proposal that could
cause problems if left unresolved. “First, the stated mission is information
gathering by civilians. Such tasks are always and everywhere best done in
low-key fashion. Some aspects of Amotekun seem to undermine rather than enhance
this function. “Second, equipping Amotekun with shadowy paraphernalia may cause
the public to misconstrue the role of Amotekun, incorrectly believing its
mandate is more expansive than it is. This possible disconnect could impede the
good aims of the programme.
“We should also consider
that the Buhari administration has approved the implementation of a policy of
community policing wherein additional recruits from all 774 local government
areas will be added to the force to help protect their communities. “As the
Federal Government emphases grassroots policing, it is uncertain how well
Amotekun can complement the police force as the force moves toward
decentralisation when Amotekun is organisationally leaning the opposite way.
“We have been fighting for local and decentralised policing for a long time
because we know that too much centralisation impedes performance. “In regard to
the actual performance of its appointed tasks, Amotekun should have focussed on
grassroots local organisation at the state level without a regional command
hierarchy. “The regional approach may undermine efficiency.
There is no compelling
logic why the same personnel providing security and informational assistance in
Ado-Ekiti should be under the same functional and operational leadership as
those providing assistance in Lekki or Akure. This will not lead to optimal
leadership. “The regional approach has only limited benefit with regard to the
procurement and maintenance of vehicles and communications equipment because
this vendor approach allows for economy of scale. “The regional approach also
helps tackle the growing incidences of interstate criminal activity.
“Some things need to be
corrected before Amotekun becomes operational. If not, it will not live to
expectations. “This, the current formulation of Amotekun is in need of repair
before it takes to the road only to quickly slip into a ditch,” he said. Tinubu
said the governors should have carried Malami along in the process of
conceiving Amotekun, saying that would have helped prevent the open
disagreements between the two parties.
He also criticised
Malami for saying Amotekun was proposed to be a defence agency, adding that the
idea was far from the description. The APC chieftain said Malami should also
have met the governors to iron certain issues out on Amotekun rather than
coming public with hasty statements. Tinubu urged Nigerians to shun those who
employed heated language to inflame emotions on the issue.