By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Retired Commissioner of Police, Frank Odita, has lamented the collapse of security infrastructure in the country, saying in the last 60 years, it has been progressively bad.
In an interview with TheNiche at his Lagos home to discuss Nigeria’s security challenges since independence, Odita said security which hangs on a tripod – the government, the policemen and the people, has unfortunately collapsed in Nigeria.
“The public is not doing its own role because they don’t even have confidence in the police. What is the proof? The proof is that states are now beginning to create their own security arrangement because they do not see the Nigeria Police coping with the security demands of their respective states,” he said.
He remarked that the state governors who are supposed to be helping to bridge the gap in the security management of the country with their security votes, have not been bothered, adding that their usual excuse is that security is a federal issue.
Odita, however singled out Lagos as an exceptional case, stressing that the State has always made policing a priority.
“For instance, Lagos, starting with Bola Tinubu made policing their number one project. That is why the state government made all necessary provision to ensure that policemen are functional.
“What did they do? They created security trust fund, got every stakeholder in Lagos to contribute to it. Through the security trust fund, they bought vehicles and patrol cars. They created Rapid Response Squad in the police. So, every place you go in Lagos, you will see police. So, police presence in Lagos makes Lagos the safest city in Nigeria. Anything that happens in Lagos, within a few minutes, policemen will be there. If it is fire, before you say Jack Robinson, fire brigade is there. So, Lagos is very organised.
“We used to have street urchins in Lagos. We no longer see too many street urchins in Lagos because they have created job for them. Some have become members of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Brigade. Some have joined Lagos State Transportation Management Authority (LASTMA). Some have become members of Lagos Waste Management Authority ( LAWMA). Very recently, they created Neighbourhood Watch. You have the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) drivers and those who sell tickets.
“They’ve created jobs. And when you create jobs, then you have removed idle hands from the road because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So, the Lagos state government is playing its role as a government. But this role is not being replicated by those who have the original role – the federal government because the constitution says that the reason for any government is to cater for the security and welfare of its citizens. And if you cannot provide this, then the reason for a government becomes nonexistent,” he said.
Full interview to be published soon