Opinion/Feature | 14 March 2012 01:11 CET

INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

Source: Adetokunbo Adedayo Onasanya/Nollywoodgists.com

But while one acknowledges the blank state of mind that has enveloped the ruling class, it would only be proper to point out that it is only fuelled by the ignorance of the masses. There is no way a government would be properly run, if it is not held accountable at all times for its actions.

There is no way a government would deem itself responsible if it is not held on a leash by the people that set up that government. So, it is no surprise that the Nigerian political mien is in such a bad state.

Ignorance is the essential ingredient for political failure and unfettered corruption. It is no surprise that a large part of the Nigerian populace and the politicians have NEVER read the content of the 1999 Constitution, that guides the current assemblage of diverse ethnical groups called Nigeria. Otherwise, we all would have been sufficiently enraged by the spate of violence across the country to request certain people to leave their positions.

Section 14(2c) of the Nigerian Constitution clearly states that, “the security and welfare of the people shall be the PRIMARY purpose of government.” If this is taken according to context, it is evident the government has failed in its primary duty to us, because if the terrorist group, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد)) Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna

Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, also known as the Boko Haram can hold our entire security force to ransom and even threaten to question the sovereignty of the Nigerian state, which contravenes Section 2 of the constitution and also Section 14(2a) then something is definitely wrong somewhere.

These sections clearly declare the unquestionable sovereignty of the Nigerian state and also give the power of sovereignty to the citizenry of the country. Section 1 of the 1999 Constitution affirms the superiority of the document over every person, institutional establishments, gang, groups, rapists and militant factions. So, one is quite surprised that even though this information is available to us, we still sit in the corner, crying and wondering 'why', when we should be acting!

First of all, our security agents have failed us. They have failed to protect the thousands of Nigerian citizens who put their faith in the content of the Nigerian Constitution, espousing their right to freely live in the country of their ancestors and their birth. Not only have our security agents failed us; they have shown gross inability to even continue discharging effectively their duties.

What began as a misguided stick wielding group randomly running around with Misbahas, has become a full-fledged terrorist organization with specialist in bombing crowded places (a trademark of the dreaded Al Qaeda terror group). And this is all largely due to the inefficiency of the several corrupt security agencies that litter the country. The inefficiency and irrelevance of the SSS, NPF, etc, was further made obvious by the hiring of the Israeli Secret Service personnel to protect Goodluck Jonathan. I do not proclaim support for this rather unpatriotic move, but it clearly buttresses my point that the Nigerian government is in a state of organizational and structural chaos.

Let us take a look at the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, who has displayed gross ineptitude right from his rather unexpected rise under the watchful eye of President Jonathan Goodluck, who he had encountered as the then deputy governor of Bayelsa State, while Ringim was the state' s Commissioner of Police.

When he became AIG in charge of the South-East zone, the spate of kidnapping and armed robbery cases rose sharply, throwing the whole country into chaos. The rather verbose Ringim, in his state of delusion, kept telling the world that he was atop the situation, same tactics he played with the Boko Haram just before it blew up in his face. The Force headquarters bomber was reported to have actually been on Ringim's convoy before he was detoured by a policeman, who unfortunately paid the ultimate price.

The insecurity in the country is not abating, and rather than inform us of the plans the Nigeria Police has put up to alleviate the situation, Ringim still spends half of his day boasting. Due to his negligence, he has given opportunity to internal aggressors to kill our fathers, brothers, rape our sisters and mothers? Has he not totally subverted Section 14(2c) of the Constitution?

We are all aware of unresolved murders of high profile public figures. Has he not failed us? Why then are we keeping quiet?
Unfortunately, the Constitution in Section 214(1) explicitly ruled out the possibility of state policing, so that we are stuck with a federal police structure. President Jonathan he needs to act now!

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