The Conference of Speakers of Southwest States Legislatures has, in a meeting, proffered solutions to the present insecurity in the zone, by calling for state policing and regional security summit to be convened by southwest state governors.
The meeting was held, on Saturday, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Jericho, Ibadan, Oyo State, to brainstorm on issues they said are affecting the peace and progress of the region.
As part of resolutions reached by the speakers and majority leaders of the southwest states houses of assembly, under the auspices of Conference of Speakers of Southwest States Legislatures, the meeting wants southwest governors to jointly procure at least three security helicopters and drones for aerial survellance of the region.
Issues deliberated on by the Conference bordered on the security situation of the region; activities of the Western Nigeria Security Network (codenamed: Operation Amotekun); financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary, as it relates to the ongoing strike of workers in the two arms of government; state policing and the impact of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.
The meeting was chaired by Mr Bamidele Oleyelogun, Chairman, Conference of Speakers of Southwest States Legislatures and Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, who called on the Federal Government to rise and take concrete position by conveying a national security summit.
In his opening remarks, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, said the present state of insecurity in the country called for handing over the control of security apparatus to state governors.
In their separate speeches, speakers Olakunle Oluomo (Ogun) and Funminiyi Afuye (Ekiti), urged southwest governors to be more assertive and take bold stances to protect the southwest states, especially by empowering forest guards.
Speaking on behalf of the Forum of the Majority Leaders in the region, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, said the law of Amotekun should be strengthened to further comprise surveillance and giving royal fathers a role to play in the issue of security.
The Oyo State Chairman, Judiciary Staff Union (JUSUN), Comrade Kayode Martins and the Zonal Vice-President (Southwest), Parliamentary Staff Union (PASAN), Comrade Adu-Peters Olusegun, who were also in attendance, gave an update on the ongoing JUSUN and PASAN strike, while calling for the support of the lawmakers.
The Director-General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Mr Seye Oyeleye, who attended the meeting with some officials of the Commission, briefed the lawmakers on the activities of the Commission and the plans ahead.
Oyeleye appealed to the speakers to impress upon the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) the need not to play politics with security by granting permission to state governors to be able to deploy and fly drones for security survellance of their states and across the country.
He also highlighted the need for the regional think-tank to be domesticated and given needed legislative backings in each of the states of the region; a request the Conference Chairman assured that the lawmakers were ready to grant.
At the end of the meeting, the Conference Chairman presented a communique. In the communique, which reads in part, the Conference noted that:
“The efforts of the state governments in the region in addressing the security challenges are yielding positive results, while calling on the Federal Government to take more proactive steps to urgently restore peace to the troubled spots as well as the entire country. It is also imperative that Government should mete out appropriate sanctions and send strong warning to people behind the various dastardly acts;
“The Governors of the southwest states should come together to procure drones and at least three helicopters for the aerial surveillance of the entire region. To also adequately empower the forest rangers in the states to embark on aggressive patrol of the forest areas. This step will no doubt change the security architecture of the southwest states;
“The laws establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun Corps), as passed by the Houses of Assembly, should be strengthened to give room for the recruitment of able-bodied unemployed youths, as this will help in surveillance, information and intelligence gathering;
“There should be Southwest security summit to be organised by the Executive and the Legislature where resolutions will be passed;
“Though, the present Nigeria Police are doing their best in securing the nation but the Conference insists on the establishment of State Police to complement the efforts of the security agencies;
“Commended the Forum of Majority Leaders for having its fifth quarterly edition of the forum and for its regular meetings which have impacted positively on the operations of the legislatures in the region;
“Charged the members of the forum to further strengthen cooperation in the Southwest States Houses of Assembly.”
Nnenna.O
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