Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), on Wednesday, broke his silence on the controversial Western
Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) established by governors of the south-west
zone.
The governors established the joint security outfit
code-named, Amotekun (Leopard), to tackle insecurity in the region.
But Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation,
declared the outfit illegal, saying matters of security are the preserve of the
federal government.
Malami’s statement sparked off mixed reactions and a chain
of controversy.
In his first public statement on the issue, Tinubu said he
delayed speaking on the matter because he does not have “the luxury of hasty,
ill-conceived utterances”.
Here are the highlights of Tinubu’s statement.
AMOTEKUN NOT A THREAT
TO NIGERIA’S UNITY
Tinubu said the security outfit is a form of ‘neighbourhood
watch’ which he himself established to tackle crime when he was the governor of
Lagos.
He said the outfit does not pose any threat to Nigeria’s
unity.
He said like Amotekun, neighbourhood watch was to complement
the efforts of the police and fill in existing performance gap.
“As Governor of Lagos State, I confronted a burgeoning
criminal menace. I could not sit idly in the face of the violence and property
destruction that struck genuine fear in the hearts of the people. The police
tried as best they could; but their coverage was thin. They simply did not have
the personnel or material wherewithal to be everywhere at once. We formed
Neighbourhood Watch to help fill the gap,” he said.
“Our aim was not to replace existing structures but to
complement and augment them. Judging from the public statements of the
governors, Amotekun is meant to be structured along similar lines. As I
understand it, Amotekun is to be another set of eyes and ears to assist the
police. As such, it is but the second generation of Neighbourhood Watch
expanded to a regional scale. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with this.
It does not appear to insult the constitution.
“Those claiming that this limited, inoffensive addition to
security threatens the Republic have taken themselves upon a madcap excursion.
“The fabric of the Republic has not been put at stake by
Amotekun. However, that fabric could be torn by the dangerous rhetoric of those
who should know better.”
AGF’S DECLARATION OF
AMOTEKUN ILLEGAL HASTY
Tinubu blamed the governors of
the south-west region and the AGF for the controversy that has now surrounded
the establishment of Amotekun.
According to him, the governors
made a mistake by not involving the office of the AGF, while Malami on his part
“erred” by “hastily and incorrectly” declaring the outfit illegal.
“The governors state that they
consulted regularly with the police and security agencies. This was the right
thing to do. However, their failure to include the office of the
Attorney-General in these discussions is the fount of the current public
uproar. This was an unfortunate omission the governors should regret and seek
to remedy. However, the conceptual merits and positive functional aspects of
Amotekun should not be tainted by this procedural defect,” he said.
“The Attorney-General acted
hastily in rendering a public statement that was more inaccurate than it should
have been. Amotekun was never proposed as a “defence” agency; the
Attorney-General erred in using this description.
“Seeking to fulfil their mandates
by helping protect their people, the governors of the Southwest collectively
established a program to buttress existing security mechanisms. Seeking to
protect the constitution as best he could, the Attorney-General offered his
opinion on what he believed the governors have sought to do. No one can blame
either party for seeking to fulfil what they genuinely see as their public
duty.”
AMOTEKUN NEEDS CORRECTION
While establishing his support for
Amotekun, Tinubu said the outfit needed some adjustments before it becomes
fully operational.
He said the regional approach to
its establishment will undermine its efficiency.
“However, my position regarding
Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there are several organisational and
functional aspects of the proposal that could cause some problems if left
unresolved,” he said.
“Amotekun should have focused on
grassroots local organisation at the state level without a regional command
hierarchy. The regional approach may undermine efficiency. There is no
compelling logic why the same personnel providing security & informational
assistance. Some things need to be corrected before Amotekun becomes
operational. If not, it will not live up to expectations. Thus, the current
formulation of Amotekun is in need of repair before it takes to the road only
to quickly slip into a ditch.”
EVOLUTION OF NIGERIA’S FEDERALISM
He also said he sees no malign
interest between the federal government and the south-west governors, and that Amotekun
is an evolution of Nigeria’s federalism and an opportunity to better define it.
“In this matter, I do not see
malign intent in the differences of opinion between the SW Governors as authors
of Amotekun and the Attorney-General as the primary law enforcement officer of
the Federal Government. Shorn of the overly dramatic language, what lies before
us is but a step in the evolution of our federalism. This is an opportunity to
more clearly define that federalism; but one cannot attain this better, more
functional definition through overblown, emotional language,” he said.
“Objectivity and calmness are
required. To a significant degree, the enduring quality of our republic will be
established by the sagacity with which we handle disagreements regarding the
division of power between federal and state governments. Such disagreements are
inevitable. This is not the first. Nor will it be the last. We must devote our
energies more toward solving problems rather than amplifying them.”
DIALOGUE AS THE WAY FORWARD
After stating his argument,
Tinubu did not delve out of the issue without rendering possible solutions to
it.
According to him, a sit-down
between the governors and the AGF is the best way to resolve the issue.
He added that as his own way of
seeing to the resolution of the dispute, he has initiated a conversation with
Rotimi Akerodolu, governor of Ondo who doubles as chairman of the south-west
governors’ forum, to “to explore amicable solutions to the avoidable
controversy”.
“The best way to resolve this is
still for the two sides to enter private discussions. Either the governors
should seek an official but private meeting with the Attorney-General, or the
Attorney-General can initiate the contact. Since Amotekun is their initiative,
the governors bear the greater onus in seeking the meeting,” he said.
“The meeting will initiate
further discussion on how to resolve what appears to be a misunderstanding
caused by an unfortunate lack of communication. Remedy the gap in communication
and the misunderstanding will begin to disappear.
“In trying to help resolve this
matter, I have initiated communication with the Chairman of the South West
Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, with a view to meeting the South
West governors to explore amicable solutions to the avoidable controversy. I am
sure that, at the end of it all, peace, security, and progress shall reign in
our nation.”
Mad o
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