Govs don’t regard tackling insecurity as priority — Folarin, Afenifere scribe

Chief Ademola Folarin, General Secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization Afenifere, has strongly criticized Nigerian governors, asserting that they are failing to make the tackling of insecurity a top priority. Folarin, a lawyer and the Agbaakin Maiyegun of Ibadanland, believes that the current approach to security is insufficient and that governors are not adequately addressing the challenges.

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I don’t think the issue of State Police is open to debate. Afenifere has been at the forefront of a clamour for State Police. We have been championing it for decades.

Folarin champions the establishment of state police, a long-standing demand of Afenifere. He argues that decentralizing policing is a logical necessity for a federal system, drawing parallels with international governance models. He dismisses concerns about potential abuse of state police powers, pointing out that the federal police are also subject to abuse. "You cannot police a country from one central command. You have to decentralize it," Folarin stated, emphasizing that this aligns with Nigeria's federal structure.

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You cannot police a country from one central command. You have to decentralize it. That is consistent with the system of government we practise, which is the federal system.

The Afenifere scribe also took aim at Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, criticizing his call for a United Nations probe into a recent abduction in Oriire. Folarin suggested that such a call was misplaced, implying that domestic mechanisms should be prioritized. He also addressed the issue of religious persecution, asserting that terrorism affects all faiths equally, countering narratives that might suggest otherwise.

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The states are coordinates; they are not co-equal.

Furthermore, Folarin expressed disappointment with the performance of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun. He questioned whether the governors had effectively utilized their powers within the Amotekun framework, implying a failure to live up to expectations in the South West region. His remarks highlight a deep-seated concern within Afenifere regarding the state of security across Nigeria and the perceived inaction or inadequacy of leadership at the state level.

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Well, the first point is, we created Amotekun a few years ago. Have the governors abused their powers under Amotekun? I think we’re overflogging it.