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When I heard the South West governors in Nigeria were set to launch their so called Operation Amotekun, a security outfit aimed to protect their region from the insecurity that has pervaded the nation due to systemic failures of the powers that be, especially at the center, I just laughed it off.
I laughed not because there is security, but because when I read through a statement made by a representative of the DAWN commission, I just concluded the governors were not too serious.
In the first instance, they will use the security funds allocated to each state, or part of it, to fund the operation. Who gives them the fund?
The federal government!
Second, they proposed that the commissioners of police in each state would overlook the operations of the amotekun. Who is the employer of the commissioners?
The federal government!
They also proposed that bodies like OPC, Vigilante, local hunters, etc would be commissioned into the program. Most of these bodies are known for the use of unconventional means in seeking justice. When I say unconventional, I mean jungle justice.
Well, the federal government is said to have declared the Operation Amotekun as an illegal scheme. It went to the extent of saying what it attempted doing is on the exclusive legislative list.
Well, I believe that’s a sueable case in the law courts, because if Abuja maintains its grounds, then even people who employ private security men are violating the law.
I understand the office of the attorney general of the federation was not even informed not to talk of the presidency. Meanwhile a Yoruba proverb says that, omo ma ku, omo ma ye, asi kolomo ku ewu na.
Meanwhile, the police force has been reduced to a rag tag army in terms of operations. You even see some officers of the police carrying the bags of the wives of so called big men or even going to guard some of their bosses’ bevy of mistresses.
My take is that until the nation starts practising true federalism, we’ll just be making motion without normal acceleration.
Meanwhile, I will say to the governors who are siting in their comfort zones that people are getting impatient with their pretence!
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