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Privatisation Of Security Apparatus
Without mincing words or shying away from the truth, there is a palpable fear in many quarters that the nation’s security apparatus as currently constituted has been designed to serve some private agenda. Obviously, every nation is concerned about its security and interests, but it is also common that some private sectional interests can feature as serving national interests. In their book titled, National Security and the American Society, Trager and Simonie defined national security as “the part of government policy having as its objective the creation of national and international conditions favourable to the protection and extension of vital national values against existing or potential adversaries”. We value what gives purpose to life!
What are the “vital national values” of Nigeria that must be protected and extended against any “existing or potential adversaries”? Values, personal or national, derive from ideological orientations, rooted in religion and culture, whose survival qualities fire and sustain national patriotism. As a developing nation, Nigeria is still trying to evolve sustainable national values serving as common impetus towards nationhood and patriotism. At best, what predominates at the moment is rooted in economic and political interests which vary according to nebulous considerations potentate need of an average Nigerian now is “stomach infrastructure”.
The Tide newspaper of Friday, June 7, 2019, had a front-page headline: “Insecurity: Danjuma, Lekwot, Others Drag Buhari to U.K. Parliament”. The issue at stake has to do with the spread of Sharia law across a secular state. References were made to “pursuing a jihad or Islamisation agenda”, Boko Haram and armed Fulani herdsmen and possible suspicion of a conspiracy, etc.
In the same newspaper of Monday, December 30, 2019, there was the following headline: “Insecurity: Reorganise Security Chiefs, NCEF Challenges Buhari”. The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) reminded President Muhammadu Buhari to stand by his words that the Islamic terrorists are godless, callous gangs of mass murderers by reorganising the National Security Units, to comply with the Federal Character Principle in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. This would mean that the security apparatus is one-sided, not reflecting the Federal Character Principle.
Like similar complaints before now, there were references to “excessive Pro-Islamic direction of this government since 2015”, and a recycling of “repentant terrorists into the Nigerian Army.” We were also told that “presently, Nigeria is divided under its conflict of ideologies which produced ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS” i.e conflict between DEMOCRACY AND SHARID Ideologies. The fear is that the terrorists are emboldened and driven by Sharia ideology.
No honest person would dismiss the suspicion that there are subtle moves to introduce Sharia law into the legal system of a secular, democratic Nigeria. Therefore, the antics of Boko Haram terrorists, armed herdsmen and the Islamic of State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are the harbingers of the shape of things to come. Obviously, there would be spirited denials of any encouragement of the activities of a “remorseless, godless, callous gangs of terrorists that have given Islam a bad name through their atrocities.” Some say the terrorists are not Muslims!
Can any honest person deny the NCEF observation that “the National Security Units that are solely in control are Muslims from the North of Nigeria”? the National Christian Elders Forum also noted that “President Buhari should be held responsible for the audacity, expansion and unbridled atrocities of ISWAP, Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.” Under these aforementioned observations and circumstances, would anyone dismiss the fact that there is a privatisation of the security apparatus of the Nigerian nation?
Is it not possible that there are subtle efforts to raise or install Islamic ideology as embodied in Sharia Law as the “Vital national values” of the Nigerian nation? Taking “National security” as defined by Trager and Simonie, is it not possible that the one Sidedness of the nation’s security apparatus is a deliberate ploy to actualize some private agenda under the umbrella of national interest?
If Nigeria must put together, embrace or adopt some “vital national values”, then, must such project not follow due process, according to law? Same way that Nigeria was made to become a member of the Organisation of Islamix Conference (OIC) without a national debate and agreement is the same way Sharia Law is being introduced. It was with the same strategy, under limitary fiat, that Decree No. 51 of 1969, on oil and gas, was made as serving national interest, at the expense of a section of Nigerians. Does democracy operate that way?
It is a pity that whenever there is an effort to have a genuine national dialogue for the purpose of resolving contentious national issues, some people make deliberate efforts to sabotage or turn such a project into travesty. The result is that agitations are suppressed via the instrumentality of security apparatus and a state of anomie allowed to linger. The task of nation building demands a template designed to foster justice as the basis for unity, freedom and peaceful coexistence.
Professor Omo Omoruyi pointed out long ago that the nation’s military and security apparatus are skewed in favour of the Muslim North. Have the calls for a revisitation of the lop-sided arrangement not been persistent enough to warrant some realistic and courageous change? The use of security personnel for protection of private business empires has implications. Is it not corruption to use public resources for private interests?
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.