It is an institution set up to checkmate rising insecurity in the state, but not long after the approval was obtained, BAYO AGBOOLA writes that instead of dwelling on the gains, politics of location sets in to the detriment of the people. A mobile police Squadron otherwise known as Mopol 72 was inaugurated last month in Ago Are by Governor Seyi Makinde as one of the projects to mark his first 365 days in office. Although the inauguration has come and gone, the controversy over its location has been a recurring decimal in the state.
Makinde explains how he got approval
Inaugurating the unit during which he presented Hilux trucks for its operations, Governor Makinde disclosed that he made a request for the Squadron in August 2019 and as well appreciated the Inspector-General of Police for cutting bureaucratic bottlenecks to grant its approval saying, “I am glad that we are together today to officially commence the operations of PMF 72. How did we give birth to the Squadron? I made a request on August 19, 2019 to the Inspector General of Police which was less than three months after we came into office.
“As I have always stated, the security of lives and property is a top priority for this administration. It took me and the entourage about two hours to get here. And if we are to go to Kisi, it would take another two to three hours from here to get there. That is how vast Oyo state is. It is bigger than some countries in Africa. To cover the entire state, of course, we need personnel, logistics and agile police mobile force and that is why we have PMF 72. From all the technical evaluation that was done, Ago-Are in the Oke-Ogun axis of this state became the choice. I want to thank you, Kabiyesi. Kabiyesi just mentioned in his speech now and I have seen the site for the permanent location of this squadron. He donated a 1km by 1km site and I give you the commitment of the government to speedily ensure that this place is well-developed, because the welfare of the squadron is very important. Let me also emphasise that for this administration, there is a very strong commitment to security and we would do everything within our power to ensure that our people go about their businesses in a safe and secure environment. The rehabilitation of this temporary site was done in record time and I thank everyone including the commander of this squadron for the work to ensure that this is completed speedily and made habitable.”
Lawmaker countered Makinde
Few days after the inauguration, the controversy reared its head as the lawmaker representing Oyo Federal Constituency, Hon Akeem Adeyemi, accused Governor Makinde of allegedly hijacking the Squadron meant for Oyo town to Ago Are.
Adeyemi said it was the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, that actually requested for the establishment of a Squadron with its headquarter in Oyo town in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari dated December 2, 2019. He said the Alaafin’s request was subsequently granted by President Buhari as contained in a letter dated January 13, 2020. The lawmaker added that Oba Adeyemi in a letter of appreciation to President Buhari dated 14/2/2020 expressed gratitude on behalf of the Oyomesi and people of Oyo on the citing of the in Oyo town.According to Adeyemi, with the relocation of the MOP 72 to Ago Are and its inauguration by Governor Makinde recently, the people of Oyo town feel betrayed.
Gov’t debunks claim of marginalisationHowever, the chief press secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr Taiwo Adisa, minced no words in debunking Adeyemi’s claim saying, “It is not true to say that the Mobile Police Squadron was relocated from Oyo to Ago Are. That’s not the situation.”According to Adisa , “The truth is that Governor Seyi Makinde sought and got the approval of the Squadron from the Inspector General of Police for Oke Ogun, during one of his trips to Abuja in August 2019. The base approved by the Inspector General of Police was specifically meant for Oke Ogun and not any other part of Oyo state. Although Oyo state is big enough to accommodate more bases, there should be no confusion about Ago Are.”Ago Are is the most appropriate location for the Mobile Squadron if you are dispassionate enough because it has a ready-made site; it is strategically located in the Ogun axis to place the security outfit in a vantage position to deal with security challenges across that zone and the international corridors the Nigerian/Benin Republic border. The IGP promptly approved the request by Gov Makinde and the security team which combed Oke Ogun for the appropriate site found Ago- Are the most suitable. There was an abandoned property belonging to the Nigerian Tobacco Company which had been handed over to the monarch of that town. It readily comes handy for immediate take off. There is nothing about politics here, please.”
When Makinde and royal fathers met
On June 10 when Governor Makinde while in Oyo town for the commissioning of the newly renovated and equipped primary healthcare centre, the issue as expected came up again with the governor saying he would have been to the Alaafin’s palace when he saw the letters he (Oba Adeyemi) wrote to the Inspector General of Police on the request for the Police Mobile Squadron but that he had no hint or knowledge of the request when he also made the same request last year when he also visited the IGP.
The governor emphasized that from the point of his request, he made up his mind to locate it in Ago-Ago, a border town which is also centrally located to help address security challenges coming into the state from that axis.
Oba Adeyemi emphasised that he bears no grudge against Gov Makinde on the issue of siting of the Squadron, saying, “We are not people who confront those placed in positions of authority by God. We don’t insult or embarrass them.
“There is no fight between me and the governor. I have related with people in positions of authority in times past, especially those very difficult to relate with. During the times of Bola Ige, they didn’t even want to smell Alaafin anywhere around, but God did it and we became the best of friends. The reason is when there is a person who is endowed with wisdom and well read, such a person would be wise when dealing with people in positions of authority. If I have a grudge or grouse against the governor, I would have written a letter to him to explain, but I don’t have any grudge,” Oba Adeyemi said.
According to the royal father, “It is a policy of the Alaafin that no insult must come to the government in power from the Alaafin. If we have anything to tell you, even if we can see that it is not right, we won’t say it publicly but only come to you to tell you in private. I dare not do such.
“I want everyone to know that there is no rancour between us. On the issue of location, if they say it’s for Oyo town, but you say you want it somewhere else instead of Oyo, we welcome it; there is no fight. We go with whatever the government does. My people, this governor, you can relate with him you can be with him. There is a covenant between him and I that is more than all that had happened. Our covenant is that he approached me that he wanted to be the governor back then and I told him it was not yet time that he would only waste his money. And when another opportunity came, he came back and it was indeed the time for him to be and he is a good person. So, take it away, I am not nursing any bitterness against him, if I have any, I am bold enough to approach him and tell him about it. In any grey area, we support and accept authority and there must be only one authority at a time. It can’t be diffused.”
In the state presently, the issue might have come and gone but not without its impacts on the political future of the state as it would play a critical role in determining the political way forward when the time is due.
