Jonathan Must Accept State Police Now

Former Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mufutau Egberongbe, in this interview, speaks on the state of insecurity in the nation and how to resolve it

What is your view on the introduction of Islamic banking in the country?

I do not see anything wrong in that on the premise that despite the array of banks in the country, you are not forced to patronise any of them. What I know about Islamic banking is that it discourages interest rates on borrowing which has stiffened development in our nation because it is so high. It is a welcome idea and would usher in mixed economy.

Where did Nigeria get it wrong in its bid for development?

The issues borders around mindset, values and morals. Discipline has no other name than discipline and does not have to do with size or age. It means conforming with state values. In our homes, parents are shirking in their responsibilities as to building the home which transcends into the society. So, there is need to go back into the old order where communal values are the order of the day, where injury to one is injury to all, where a community would see a child as everyone’s child. It is all about obeying set rules, norms and generally accepted standards in terms of attitude and character.

How would you react to the call on President Jonathan to resign if he cannot resolve the problem of insecurity in nation?

Fine, Jonathan is the country’s President, but the issue of security, infrastructure development and policies that would advance the nation are that of institutions. There is need to put in place strong policies to strengthen our security institutions. For example, what is the State Security Service doing about these killings and even the previous ones? What are the journalists doing? I used to know about journalists unravelling so many mysteries. These are now a thing of the past. You don’t even know if the security agencies exist except once in a while. They have to be strengthened. The issue of insecurity did not start today. Even during the late Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration, there were incidents. Obasanjo too had experiences. So, it is not about Jonathan, but he should try and face the reality. He should know that this is the time for the establishment of a state police. There should be no politics about it.

But the fear is that with state police, governors may become power drunk?

Is it enough to say too that the President has become power drunk with the police as it is now? This is a fallacy. It is just the fear of the unknown. If you put the extent of manoeuvring by the governors side by side the necessity for state police to stem crime, then it would be justified. The judiciary is also there to handle cases of state governments that would use such apparatus for individual benefits. We have gone beyond this fear and we need to be sincere with ourselves. For example, in trying to curb crime in my constituency, I encouraged the synergy between the Police and the Neighbourhood Watch by procuring a set of walkie talkies for them since they know the area more and could tell the dark spots and likely miscreants. Policing and security activities are not about exchanging gunfire, it is about nipping them in the bud before they carry out the acts.

Don’t you think the security of a nation still boils down to the number one citizen of that nation?

We will always heap everything at the door of the Chief Executive Officer whether at the state or federal level. But if you are canvassing such action against the President, it means Obasanjo and Yar’Adua should have been made to resign because before Jonathan, there were issues of insecurity. That is why I am calling for strengthened institutions to tackle the issue of crime. The primary responsibility of any government is the security of lives and property, but for crying out loud, Jonathan was only sworn in on 29 May and we are in June. Even if we put in place such institutions, it would take a little time to nurture them. What I can canvass at this stage is that we should be sincere and the president should be liberal to accept new ideas like the state police. People should be free to drop information about such issues without necessarily seeing the law enforcement agents and without the fear of being betrayed by the police.

Some have also suggested disintegration of the country?

I will want you to know that agitations are a product of mind-boggling and there is nothing wrong in it. But what is wrong is the channel through which to make your boggling known. The people agitating have representatives who they can forward their positions to for discussion at the parliamentary level. The level of enlightenment is another issue. I understand that some of the Boko Haram sect members are not from this country. This is where the security agencies have much work to do. The problem started a long time ago and has other elements of politics and religion which affects one’s disposition especially where you are made to know that when you die in such course, you would go to paradise. We need to revolutionise our thinking. We also need social re-engineering among ourselves. There are some almajiri who are not sure of their next meal, but if government can pick these ones for training, they would not engage in it.

How do you hope to meet the expectations of your constituents this session?

The House of Assembly is not meant to be individualistic in design. If you have issues affecting your constituency, you must lobby your colleagues to assist you. One of the problems being faced in my area is perennial flooding which we will work on this. Then there is the issue of citing of farm tanks, combustibles that could go up in flames at the slightest provocation. Reckless packing on the highways too needs to be addressed. I have asked the youths of the area to go round and table the challenges facing them so that we could begin to sort them out. You can even be sure that not all the challenges too need intervention but social responsibility on the part of companies around the area or through communal efforts. On the tank farm issue, I made representation to the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the governor and Ministry of the Environment and a committee was set up by government to ensure that no new farm tanks are built while talking about the relocation of existing ones. I will still intensify efforts to see that something is done. We will also continue to engage the civil society to come to the aid of the residents of the area.