Of the responses to last week’s column, I chose this by the spokesman of Niger State Government, Dr. Ibraheem Dooba for readers and all interested in this discourse of the government’s policy direction. Though space did not allow me to counter his observations, some of which require such by me, it’s published anyway; at least to present the position of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello on security. – Kakanda
My friend, Gimba Kakanda, has again raised a valid point. The absence of security among the four focus areas of the state government, he argued on the back page of the Blueprint newspaper, was a wrong move. The main premise for this claim was the approach of the former governor of the state whose only tool was to remove people from their settlements.
My brother usually makes sound and trenchant points; however, in this case, the argument isn’t sound, because the premise is faulty. The text remains valid only because it fulfills the rhetorical structure of a persuasive presentation.
In fact, if you look closely, the state and Mr. Kakanda are in agreement. What spoils his contribution was the choice of example.
Therefore, in response, I will make the following points:
1. Banditry, cattle rustling and inter-border crimes in general, especially in Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara and Niger were inherited by the new administrations in respective states. This means, they didn’t start today. This fact, leads to the second point.
2. If the former governor’s measures – whether curative or preventive – were so effective, we wouldn’t have inherited the problem in the first place.
3. Somebody pointed out elsewhere, that the issue of security is a given. What this means is that as the chief security officer of a state, the governor must pay attention to security; therefore, it may not be necessary for it to be listed among our focus areas. I agree.
4. Following from the above, Governor Bello has taken many commendable security measures. Consider for example:
a. When we came into government, we met a chaotic Minna city where gangs battled on a daily basis and committed murders regularly. People lived in fear. I particularly recall the account of a permanent secretary whose son was beaten and nearly killed. Many were not so lucky as they had their throats slashed and stomachs gutted. I also remember that the commissioner of police was always a guest at the Government House and the marathon of strategic meetings the security officials had with the government. What’s the outcome?
Today, Minna is rid of those gang wars. This is a verifiable achievement. You only need to ask those who live in Minna to compare today with four months ago.
b. My first journey with Governor Bello to Kaduna was to attend a security meeting where governors of Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina and Niger met with security agencies for the purpose of fixing the inter-border banditry. In subsequent meetings, other governors, such as Kano’s governor, joined this group.
Among the measures they adopted included air surveillance by the use of helicopters and other flying objects. And to some extent, the wicked crimes abated because the governors were serious about the solution and because they kept monitoring. I remember Governor Bello saying, when he met one of the security bosses, “do you still do air surveillance because I’ve not been seeing your people flying?”
c. At Zuma Barracks in Suleja, where soldiers who help protect Niger State are stationed, Governor Bello was appalled at the living conditions of the soldiers when he visited them and immediately set in motion plans to provide them with better living quarters and other incentives to increase motivation. Does that count as a preventive measure?
d. Only this week, the state government, through the acting governor, gave the police and other agencies motorcycles and bicycles to improve security and undercover work. Does this count as a preventive measure?
The foregoing points show that the state government actually agrees with my friend, Gimba Kakanda, that security is a serious business and therefore takes it seriously – even if it isn’t listed as a focus area.
Dooba wrote in from Minna
