The Governors of Nigeria’s 36 States have agreed to support the dedication of portions of the country’s Excess Crude Account and the Natural Resources Development Funds or the Economic Stabilisation Fund to provide the necessary equipment for security agencies to fight insecurity.
The Governors, who held an emergency meeting under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at the Conference Centre of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the decision was aimed at addressing “the impunity associated with all of the crimes and criminality” in the country.
The Chairman of the Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who briefed the media, said the meeting reviewed the challenge of resources to the country’s military institutions and welcomed the appointment of new service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are fully supportive of the work they have promised to do. We hope that new security architecture will emerge from this new leadership”, Governor Fayemi said.
He said that; ”Governors are irrevocably committed to the protection of life and property in our states and we are full of sympathy to those who lost their lives and property.
“The governors forum also have gone ahead to provide some financial support to the victims of the conflict experienced in Oyo and Ogun States, where out delegation visited over the last week. “
Ethnic profiling
He said that the Governors made it clear during the meeting that crime and criminality should comprehensively be prosecuted wherever they may occur without ethnic, religious or any other colouration.
“Governors are totally opposed to ethnic profiling of crime, knowing what has transpired in other parts of the world.
“Whether we are talking of the way Jews were profiled in Germany, leading to the World War, or talking of the way Tutsis were profiled leading to the genocide in Rwanda, we do not believe that crimes are associated with a particular ethnic group.
“To that extent, we reservedly condemn any attempt to profile any ethnic group on account of a particular crime,” he stated.
Fake news
According to him, the Governors condemned the proliferation of fake news and the abuse of social media, and urged media organizations to show more restraint in their reportage of events in the country.
“Many of us have seen those fake videos that have almost led to reprisals in other parts of the country and we want to implore our mainstream media organizations as well as individuals to apply restraint in the way and manner issues relating to security of lives and property are reported,” Governor Fayemi Stated.
Livestock transformation
Governor Fayemi said the meeting of the governors reviewed the need to strengthen the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP.
He explained that; “It is the views of all the governors that the traditional approach to grazing is no longer sustainable and that modern approach to grazing and livestock management needs to be put in place.
“Governors feel strongly that the strengthening of the NLTP would be a good place to start this comprehensive revisiting of the livestock management arrangement.
“Governors also highlighted in the course of our meeting the importance of reviewing our forestry management and environmental laws because we feel very strongly that our forests have become the den of these criminals and bandits simply because they are not properly managed across the board.
“And to this end, it is the considered view of governors that the forestry management needs to be immediately reviewed in collaboration with the federal authorities so that these problems that we have encountered can be immediately addressed.”
Transhumance protocol
On border management, Governor Fayemi said that the forum received reports showing how the porosity of Nigeria’s borders has fanned insecurity in the country.
He streesed that it was important to strengthen the provisions of the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol in order to address the unbridled movement of cattle from across the country’s borders.
“We also believe that the porosity of our borders is responsible for the proliferation of light weapons.”
“We have always had disagreement between farmers and herders, but the virulence and the violence we have witnessed recently is a result of the proliferation of weapons because many of the people that are involved in this are found to be carrying AK-47 and other lethal weapons, which have been the problem in various states,” he stated.
Governor Fayemi said that they spoke on the need of achieving synergy between mainstream security institutions or local security arrangements that have emanated in response to the challenges of insecurity.
He said it was important to ensure that these local security arrangements work in collaboration with security agencies to avoid taking laws into their hands and for the respect of the fundamental human rights of those who might be innocent of crimes in their areas.
Dominica Nwabufo
