From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Chairman, South West Governors Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has declared that the Western Nigeria Security Network (Operation Amotekun) has come to stay in the region, describing the outfit as a child of necessity.
The governor who faulted the federal system of government practised in the country, said there was need to make the current system of government viable
He also called on members of the National Assembly to enact laws that would deepen the nation’s democracy.
Reacting to a statement credited to Bauchi State Governor and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed on Amotekun, the Ondo governor said: “Governor Bala Mohammed spoke on the need to restructure the polity for real development. He identified this ingenuous design to save the lives and property of our people as necessary. We commend him for the rare courage exhibited at a time when it is considered expedient to cling to equivocation and outright denial of the obvious for political correctness. This conduct is exemplary.
“We also salute him for his bold declaration that there can be no advancement unless there is restructuring. Aspiring politicians to public office must have a clear vision of how to solve socio-economic problems. The ability to identify issues of development and the capacity to tackle same marks out genuine leaders.
“It is mollifying to witness the growing acceptance of an experimentation, conceived as an exigent but integral and indispensable part of a comprehensive programme for an effective security system in a country which faces serious challenges of redefinition. This acknowledgement is an open challenge to all the states, which have availed themselves of the benefits of an outfit borne of ingenuous and audacious insistence to protect lives and property, to keep improving to clear the vestiges of doubt arising from misunderstanding or outright mischief.
“It is also a call on our legislators to consider, very seriously, making laws which will deepen the current democratic experiment. The 1999 Constitution, as amended, mocks the federal status of the country. The precarious state of the polity, with regard to security and economy, makes it compelling.
“We hold it as self-evident that a federal state must put in place a system of administration which reflects its heterogenous character. The federating units must progress from the semblance of autonomy to the recognition of their unique features which justify their existence. All institutions must emerge as consequences of deliberative engagements designed to accommodate and serve all segments of the society. Social services become seamless and effective when governance is localised.
“It, therefore, becomes anomalous and suspicious to insist on a central command structure of policing the polity. Amotekun points at the path to tread in ensuring that collaborative efforts among security agencies yield maximum protection for the citizenry. It points at the ostensible potentials of a nation-state sincerely desirous of mobilising the citizens for the production of goods and services.”