Adu: Nigeria’s Security Architecture Needs Overhauling for Effective Result

A member of the All Progressives Congress and Deputy Director-General of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Council in Ondo State, Mr Sylvester OlumuyiwaAdu, in this interview speaks on Ondo Governor’s electoral victory in all the 18 local government areas of the Sunshine state, godfatherism in politics, need to overhaul Nigeria’s security system and state policing. Folalumi Alaran brings excerpts.

I would like you to reflect on your experience  as the Deputy State Director-General of the Aiyedatiwa Campaign Council. Within two months of an intensive campaign, what lessons did you learn, particularly in light of the opposition’s allegations that the election was unsatisfactory?

Thank you very much. For any project one embarks on, it is crucial to conduct a thorough risk assessment and develop strategic, tactical, and operational policies before execution. Additionally, it is essential to continuously review each step taken in the course of executing the plan and remain open to feedback to ensure necessary adjustments are made. This approach led to the introduction of new initiatives, resulting in continuous improvements that ultimately secured our 18-0 victory.

Running a political campaign effectively requires strategic thinking, adaptability, and a commitment to ongoing improvements. This ultimately contributed to the victory of the APC candidate, who is now our governor.

The key lessons learned are the importance of strategic planning, listening to people, embracing innovative ideas, and maintaining a mindset of continuous improvement, especially in a competitive political environment where scrutiny is high.

Now that Governor Aiyedatiwa has received the mandate of the electorate to continue in office, as a strong party leader and opinion moulder in Ondo State, what are your expectations of the governor?

Well, first and foremost, there are two ways of looking at this. It is one thing to say we want him to build a hospital; a 20-storey building, for instance or to establish community health centres in underserved areas. We could also consider setting up industrial hubs in strategic locations, which could lead to the creation of a water corporation where households are metered and billed monthly, similar to the electricity sector. I might say, okay, I want him to engage in discussions with banks to secure funding for about 2,000 BRT buses, some operating within the streets and others running between local government areas. These could be my expectations of him. However, it would seem as though I was making demands without considering the federal allocation or the state’s internally generated revenue.

Sincerely speaking, these are the fundamental determining factors. I expect him to make the most of both federal allocations and internally generated revenue to ensure lasting infrastructural development and leave a legacy that people will remember. In addition, I believe he needs to establish an advisory council comprising individuals with proven success stories, people who can introduce innovative ideas that may not necessarily require government funds but could be bank-funded. Such initiatives would, in turn, generate revenue and sustain themselves through investment returns.

So, these are my expectations of him.

The Nigerian Constitution outlines specific conditions for declaring a state of emergency. Based on your legal expertise, does the current situation in Rivers state meet the criteria for such a declaration?

As long as the specifics of any law are not explicitly stated and there are no judicial precedents from court rulings, it may be difficult to categorically declare that such a step is unlawful. Most of the differing opinions on this matter stem from individual interpretations of the constitution rather than clear constitutional provisions. The constitution does not explicitly state whether a state of emergency requires the suspension or non-suspension of government. But again, we must consider the circumstances surrounding that decision.

If it is in the best interest of the people and the nation at large, then that is what we should focus on. When we examine the laws, we can see that they can always be improved upon. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, we are not doing enough in this regard.

That is precisely why we have legislative houses, they are meant to constantly review, repeal, amend, suspend, or even abolish certain provisions of the law where necessary.

So, when issues like this arise, it challenges the legislative houses to reassess these laws and establish precedents that can guide future decisions. Those who argue that the decision is wrong and those who insist it is right may both have valid reasons. But is there a clear constitutional provision stating how it should be handled? If such a decision is made in the interest of peace and national progress, I would not oppose it. That is my stance on the matter. I will not categorically say those arguing against it are wrong, nor will I say those supporting it are entirely correct. To the best of my knowledge, both perspectives are based on interpretations rather than explicit constitutional provisions.

Yes, there is the power to take such an action, depending on the prevailing situation in the country. If a situation threatens to bring chaos or anarchy, such measures can be taken. However, the debate is about whether the government has the right to suspend governance during a state of emergency. This is not explicitly stated in the constitution. Nowhere does the constitution categorically say that when a state of emergency is declared, the government must or must not be suspended. Therefore, the circumstances surrounding the decision should ultimately determine what course of action is taken. This presents a challenge to our legislative houses, both at the lower and upper chambers, as well as at the state level to review the relevant laws and consider necessary improvements.

When we talk about godfatherism in politics, many believe it hinders true leadership. What is your take on this?

You see, this is precisely why Nigeria is not progressing. This is why we are where we are today. I have said it time and again, and I will continue to say it. Whatever I do today is not because I want people to vote for me, I do it because I am thinking of my accountability before God. If you share the same parents with me or bear the same surname, or even if you have lived with me for 30 years, I will still not support you for a position unless you are more qualified than others contesting for it. Because you have to think about the interests of society at large, not just what I will gain from supporting that man. And that is what we see today. It is not only at the highest level; even at the lower level, on the streets, you see individuals saying, “He doesn’t know me, so why must I vote for him?”

They do not even think about analysing, I mean, comparing those contesting the election to genuinely consider the best candidate, whether they are close to that person or not. And this is exactly what those we call godfathers do. Why must you insist that your candidate must be put in a position against the will of the majority? That is why we are where we are today. They dictate to them and do not allow them to work.

Recently, was it not just yesterday, I heard a man saying that they want to unbundle INEC so that other agencies can take on some of its responsibilities to frustrate this issue of godfatherism and also take the power of conducting local government elections away from governors, who dictate who should be made local government chairmen in their states. We should think about our future, not just today. I should not continue supporting a system simply because I am a beneficiary of it. It would be a mistake to think I will remain in politics forever. We should think about our future, the people coming after us, and our society as a whole. We are suffering because of all these issues.

Why must an individual dictate who holds positions in society against the will of the people? That is why people say, “If you don’t give me money, I won’t vote for you.” Because, most times, they believe their votes do not count. So, for me, I do not think we should continue like this. What we need is to start thinking about introducing good legislation to put an end to this system. Godfatherism often places incompetent people in positions instead of those who can truly work in the nation’s best interests. We are going through a lot.

What do you suggest the state government should do in the coming years? A – The problem is not from the state government per se; it is the federal government that controls security affairs in the country. They only allocate security votes to them mostly to lubricate their palms and perhaps provide support for the police officers they recruit. The quality of the state-owned security outfit depends on what they currently have.

Recently, I was in the bank and met a soldier there. He got a biro, and while I was filling out my form, he kept looking up, struggling to complete his form. Since I had been in the military, I greeted him and asked, “What is the issue?” He said he needed help filling out the form, so I assisted him. When I left, I asked myself, “Should this man really be in the military?”

On the road at Esso (a major area in Akure), you see a traffic warden dancing in the name of controlling traffic. Where we should have a traffic light, that man should be in the control room, monitoring those who violate or breach traffic laws not standing under the sun, dancing. And I was made to understand that he was given an award. As far as I’m concerned, we lack the capacity to manage national security. If I were given the power today, my first directive would be for everyone in Abuja to return to their respective states and support the police command. I would start with Abuja, appointing a competent individual to lead the city’s police force.

If states are still not allowed to establish their own police forces, this approach should still apply at the state level. I would mandate that a minimum qualification for police recruitment be an HND. Recruit them. I would begin in Abuja, where you would no longer see police officers stopping vehicles to check documents. There must be a way to connect the database so that a computer alerts the authorities when someone’s vehicle papers have expired. If the police are checking documents on the road, it should not be those of innocent people. In fact, there should be no need to stop anyone on the road. A representative of the law enforcement agency should simply deliver a notice to the vehicle owner’s home, as their details are already in the system.

If you fail to renew your papers within a month, officials should come to your house and confiscate your vehicle. That is the standard practice elsewhere. I am talking about modern policing. You cannot expect someone who cannot even fill out a bank form to function effectively in the police force and meet the demands of contemporary policing. Officers should be equipped with in-vehicle computers to conduct security operations efficiently. Communication-wise, they should have a network that allows seamless coordination. If an officer at one location reports an act of insecurity via radio, all nearby officers should immediately converge on the area, operating on the same frequency. Illiterates cannot execute such operations. Currently, three-quarters of those managing our security system in this country are unqualified. However, if we implement this system in Abuja first, officers will no longer need to chase criminals. They will stand by their vehicles, using radios and computers to conduct their duties effectively.

We also lack the required data infrastructure. Since 2014, I registered for NIN, yet I have not received the card to this day—only a temporary one. Meanwhile, when you open a bank account, you receive an ATM card the same day. If we had the capacity to manage our policing system effectively, we wouldn’t need Amotekun. When we were younger, we often heard of the CID. You could have a CID officer operating a vulcanising shop right in front of your house, gathering intelligence for the police without anyone suspecting.

But what you see them doing today is just staying on the road, disturbing the people. Whereas, if crimes are being committed, the perpetrators are somewhere else in the bush. So, we have a lot to do in this regard. This is not Aiyedatiwa’s problem alone. Aiyedatiwa cannot now go and repair the foundation of a house that already has a roof, unless the house is to be brought down completely. We need to start afresh to overcome these problems.

And what are the causes of this insecurity?

You are telling a herdsman okay, for example, assuming now that the crops on the farm are killing the cows, would you tell the farmers to stop farming? You want these people, who have been living off this livelihood since before we were born, to remove their cows from the bush and bring them into my sitting room?

Meanwhile, when we travel abroad, we see how things are done. How difficult would it be for the government to use bulldozers to clear vast land, fence it off with wire, build stables, and tell the herders: Move your cows there; we will support you with grass?

This can be done for five, six, or seven months. Then, later, you sit down with them and establish a proper system. We see such solutions on television all the time.

So, we need to tackle these issues from the root. We also have to work with what we currently have. The security agencies are not capable of handling the situation because they lack the necessary resources to do so. That is my position on the matter.

We need to address these issues from multiple angles—ensuring that we have competent personnel to provide the security services needed for our nation and also tackling the root causes of these problems.

 This is not just a problem in Ondo State; it is spreading. They are being driven out of the north. Tomorrow, you might hear about it in another region. Recently, we saw what happened in Oyo. Now, it is reaching Ondo State. Before we know it, it will affect Ekiti as well. In fact, I believe it started in Ekiti before reaching Ondo State. They have been raising the alarm, saying people are being killed there. So, this is a national issue—it is not just a problem for Ondo State alone.

Okay, in the course of your analysis, you almost suggested that we now need a state police system. We recall that President Bola Tinubu actually started advocating for state police when he was the Governor of Lagos State, urging the Obasanjo administration to decentralise the system and allow states to have their own police commands.

Now, Tinubu is the President of Nigeria, and we are almost two years into his administration. In your observation, what is impeding him from implementing it? What do you think is actually responsible for the fact that we have not had a state police directly since he came on board?

For me, it would be wrong to begin criticising him now because Nigeria’s problems are enormous—there is no doubt about that. If you look at what he has been doing, he is focused on generating the resources needed to function effectively.

He is still working on that and has not yet completed it. We have seen the kind of resistance he faced from the people regarding tax reforms and various other policies he introduced to ensure that the nation has enough funds to manage its affairs. Since he has not yet concluded that process, it would be unfair to say that this period is already too late for him to implement everything he initially proposed.

We just need to be a little patience, and I am confident that he will be able to conclude most of the tasks before him. There is no doubt that he may revisit the issue of state policing. In fact, I believe he mentioned it recently. I am not certain, but yes, it was discussed recently, and I think he is also working towards it. But let’s be patient.

I assure you that, over time, we will get there. Nigeria’s problems are vast, and no single president can solve them all at once. However, we can see that the country’s revenue is increasing. Over time, as those funds are put to good use, the idea of state policing may be revived in such a way that individual states will have enough resources to establish their own police forces.

I do not think he has ever opposed that idea. And regardless of his political approach, from what I observe of him, I do not believe he would allow an idea he has nurtured for so long to simply die.

First and foremost, if I were to list everything, we would not leave here today. But let me say this: the Oyinbos who see us as slaves today are not more disciplined than Africans. On their streets, Oyinbos can walk naked, drink beer openly, and do as they please. Do you know what controls them? Their laws and policing systems. That is what we need here.

First, look at our judiciary and policing system. If those two institutions are strong, they will serve as the foundation for our development. It’s not as if you’re my brother. Somebody came two days ago and said something, and I suspected that the individual was up to something fishy. I said, “Okay, help me talk to them.” Then I told him, “Come later, I will talk to them.” He gave me the number of his team, but I wouldn’t call because if I did, that man might think they were the ones working for me and giving me money.

This morning, I was talking to my brother, my immediate younger brother and the one after him. I told them I wanted to discipline them because they don’t respect people. They are not humble. No matter how much I invest in them, when they go out, they behave arrogantly, and that won’t help them.

For that reason alone, I want them to learn how to respect people. Even if you’re older than someone but not in the same company, you should still show respect. If you see someone older than you, say, “Good morning, sir.” Was that not what I discussed with them this morning? Now, what I mean to say is that I’m a disciplinarian to the core. If you collect all the phones from everyone in Accra and place them at a junction where each person picks theirs, if I were to pick mine, they would arrest me. Anything that is not clean doesn’t work with my staff. That is something I know about myself—I am a disciplinarian to the core. Strengthening the judiciary and the police is the foundation of everything.

Secondly, I can tell you that the resources we have in this country surpass those of the United Kingdom and the United States, which are considered developed today. They take our wood, process it abroad, and bring back plywood for us. That’s why I said that if I start listing things, I will mention transportation. What is so difficult about telling banks, “Let us have 2,000 RT buses”? When you get to a garage, you should be able to see the buses going to different destinations.

All you need to do is leave your car at home, carry your ATM card, tap it, and the fare—whether five naira, ten naira, or whatever—is deducted automatically. You won’t even need to think about the fuel price at the filling station. If banks sponsor this, all the money collected daily will still circulate back to the banks. Are we thinking about that?