Insecurity: Gani Adams Faults South-west Govs on Recruitment of Private Security

Insecurity: Gani Adams Faults South-west Govs on Recruitment of Private Security

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, has berated some South-west governors for their alleged plan to recruit their surrogates to form state security apparatus in the region.

He said such purported move would not improve security situation in the region.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State capital during a sensitisation programme on security for members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Adams condemned the move, describing it as unacceptable.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo, who said political leaders should differentiate between politics and security, added that “without security there can’t be good governance.”

He commended present complementary roles between the police and the OPC on security matters, especially in the South-west, adding that stakeholders should support the collaboration rather than work against it.

Do you know that some South-west governors are recruiting their political errand boys for security purposes without consulting me or the OPC anymore? And when the issue of security threats arises, they’ll remember to call the Aare Ona Kakanfo to come and intervene. I’m not getting salary from any government, but I’ve been using my money to run this position and for this organisation.

“An example is in Ogun State, where some few people were taken to forest to be personal private security of the state government. It’s condemnable. We should differentiate between politics and security. Without security, there can’t be good governance.

“When a government decides to politicise security matters, such move is doomed to fail. If there’s any security problem in the South-west region, people should not hold me or the Inspector General of Police (IGP) responsible. The IGP has done his part by partnering with our organisation based on our antecedents. But, some of our governors want to politicise security issues. It’s uncalled for and it’s unacceptable,” he alleged.

Adams also reiterated call for restructuring of the nation, saying the only way to move Nigeria forward is through restructuring by returning to the federating units in the country.

According to him, “The problem we have in Nigeria is that we don’t want to agree on how to solve our problems. In as much as we continue to do that, there will still be impediments on our way.

“The only way to move Nigeria forward is through restructuring by returning to the federating units. By then, every region will develop at its own pace. Most of the problems compounded by federal structure can be resolved. Through federating units, there will be room for innovations by political leaders at the regional level. Issues of insecurity will be jointly tackled by federal and state police.

“Without restructuring, we are deceiving ourselves. Our governments at all levels should realise that the voice of the people is the voice of God. It will be hard to run a government if you choose to suppress or ignore the voice of the people. People are clamouring for restructuring, and I think a good government must listen to the voice of the people.

“I’ve travelled round the country. Last week, I called for a repair of Badagry-Mile 2 road. There’s no federal road in South-west that’s motorable. How long are going to be taking flights here and there because of bad roads? Most of the roads are federal roads. For instance, Lagos-Ilorin highway should be a three-hour journey. It could have been a pleasure travelling on that road seeing serene environment and different communities. But, that is not the case. What stops us from having good roads?

He also described the call for name change of Yoruba as diversionary.

“We don’t need that. It’s unnecessary. I don’t know why anyone is bringing up the issue now. Yoruba people have been bearing the name for about 8,000 years. I see people calling for name change as agents of destruction,” he alleged.

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