…No going back on ban on open grazing – Gov Akeredolu
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday took a critical look at the problems bedeviling Nigeria in recent years and declared that the country is under siege.
While speaking at the 2021 NBA Section of Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) currently going on in Ibadan, Oyo State, NBA President, Olumide Akpata declared that the Nigerian government has failed its people.
In his address at the opening of the conference, Akpata stressed that Nigeria is currently facing a myriad of challenges, adding that the NBA has followed with great concern the deteriorating state of internal security and the gradual erosion of the monopoly of the Nigerian State over the use of force and arms. He lamented that all over the country, hapless Nigerians are being killed, abducted, or maimed with reckless abandon. “From the East to the West, and from the North to the South, we are faced with the grim picture of a country under siege and tottering at the edge of the precipice. Illustrative examples abound”, Akpata observed.
Giving ample instances of insecurity in every part of the country, Akpata recounted that in the Northern part of the country, especially the North East, while the security agencies continue to analyse the veracity of the widely reported clash between Boko Haram and their ISWAP counterparts, which has led to the reported death of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau as well as its implications for the security situation in Nigeria, the reality on ground is that the war on terrorism and insurgency continues to rage.
He expressed dismay that in recent weeks, terrorists have taken their attacks to a new deadly dimension, ransacking villages in the region, and stamping their authority.
“Another deadly dimension to the violence is the clearly concerted attacks on the education system. As at Monday, 26th April 2021, a total of 5, out of over 25 students of Greenfield University, abducted by armed bandits on 20th April, 2021 had been killed while the rest remain trapped in the enclave of their abductors, potentially faced with the fate of their deceased colleagues. All over the country, it is as though government is no longer able to provide a secure atmosphere for learning and education to take place, with several schools under lock and key on security considerations”, he added.
The NBA President further observed that in the South East, a region which until recently enjoyed relative peace, as well as some States in the South–South, a peculiar wave of insecurity has emerged, manifesting in brutal attacks on law enforcement formations and law enforcement agencies especially the police by armed gunmen, as well as the destruction of national assets such as offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Akpata recalled that recently, the United States Embassy issued a Travel Advisory to its citizens cautioning against traveling to different parts of Nigeria, citing security reasons. Similarly, the United States Consulate in Lagos, in a “Security Notice” dated 27th April 2021 decried the rising spate of crime in Lagos State, and advised its citizens to be more cautious in their movement in and about the State. “These are all indicative of a near breakdown of the security architecture of the Nigerian State and call for emergency security measures”.
He noted that in addition to the worsening insecurity, Nigerians also face the problems of constriction of the civic space, and endangered freedom of expression, ostensible failure of institutions at different levels of governance. He blamed all the challenges and problems confronting Nigeria on the failure of the government.
“I dare say that this precarious state is indicative of the failure of governance at all levels which had been long in coming but has become exacerbated by the day. While there is a role for the citizens and civil society groups in that process, the bulk of the responsibility rests on the shoulders of the government to tackle the problems head-on. While efforts have admittedly been made, these have clearly not been satisfactory. Governments at all levels must take charge and deliver on the most important mandate of their offices: the protection of lives and properties. They must restore the faith of Nigerians in the social contract that the citizens have with the Government. Indeed, they must govern in the Public Interest”, he stated.
He noted that Nigerians have become beleaguered and are desperately yearning for good governance.
In his presentation, Ondo State governor, Olurotimi Akeredolu who was onetime national president of NBA, reaffirmed the stand of governors of the Southern part of Nigeria on ban on open cattle grazing, saying “our position stands”.
Akeredolu who also argued in favour of state police and Judiciary autonomy said the South is not against cattle trade. “We are opposed to criminality and we will fight it with everything we have”.
The governor insisted that the issue of state police has come to stay. “This is the time to have state police. Even before Amotekun, my brothers in the North had their own state police. The East have started their own too. Amotekun has come to stay. Anyone not satisfied should go to court. We are elected for the security of our people. The security of my house is in my hands. The security of our village is in our hands.”
Also speaking at the opening of the conference, the governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed remarked that while he agreed with the southern governors, the question must be asked: Where did this dangerous herdsmen that have been killing and maiming people across the country, come from? He admonished Nigerians to beware of ethnic profiling, arguing that all Nigerians must be free in every part of the country. The governor said that what must be tackled is the criminal elements that turned honest Fulani cattle traders into victims.
Former governor of Imo State and currently a Senator, Rochas Okorocha however differed from the position of his former colleagues. According to him, the bane of Nigeria is injustice and poverty. He said all the problems dogging the country are actually effects, not causative. “Nigeria itself does not know its problem”, he said, stressing that Nigerian leaders must learn to take responsibility for the problems.