Omooba Folarin Lawal
Of a fact, among other Nigeria nagging problems is insecurity. Without any iota of doubt,this security issue had become nothing to write home about when considering the preponderance of disheartening incidents everywhere in the country.The appalling situation of our security system is creating fear and anxiety of living in the minds of inhabitants.The news of horrible situations almost on daily basis and the view from the lenses of likely lackadaisical attitude on the part of the appropriate authority to improve the security system are making the citizens to form an opinion that living in their fatherland is a monumental risk.
It is almost everyday we read different types of icky stories on the pages of our national Dailies. If we go out on our normal day to day activities or businesses, it takes the grace of God to come back home in peace. Insecurity in the country had given birth to a degenerate society in which people had no sense of being citizens when they cannot move freely in their homeland. And truly, if a society could have been rendered to a state of trepidation in all forms for the citizenry devoid of being free creature as God had made them to be, then, things without being economical with the truth had totally gone awry.
The brutal killings, assassinations, daylight robberies, kidnappings rappings, Bokoharam insurgency, Fulani herdsmen imbroglio and other vices are the products of insecurity and they have become mass media almost everyday reported news in Nigeria. Moral and social life of every Nigerians have been reduced when every minute, fear of being kidnapped tend to grip. For kidnapping itself, it has been fashioned to be a lucrative business because ransom is demanded before releasing whoever is in captivity. Insecurity problem has effectuated the kind of inconducive environment where no citizen could bold of living without anxiety disorders.The upshot of a lapse in security has been suicidal in Nigeria when beginning to look at various cases of brutal killings and the rest.
Unemployment is also one the country nagging problems which can at least, be relatively arrested by the assistance of some of the citizens who are capable of dishing out job securities to some of our young graduates out there if the security in the country is superb. But reverse has been the case under the awful security, the fear of being kidnapped or assassinated peremptorily continue to pester minds resulting from the insecurity saga, they have taken preference in staying abroad. This insecurity situation is adversely affecting the country in the nation building.
However, some have remonstrated with revulsion that the porosity of our security system could as well be a wound being inflicted by the politicians and now, the society is nursing the wound. That the contribution of our politicians to porous security of the nation is not in small measures. During elections exercise, politicians breed political thugs purposely for political gains. After the whole scenario when the elections are over, society begins to be under threat of constituted nuisances. They become hoodlums and miscreants lounging on proclivity and involving in all sorts of vices thereby putting the existing society in jeopardy.
Nigeria security situation is not fascinating. The country has become a no safe land for her citizens. Everyday people who can afford to leave the country for the sake of safety are on the way out having realised that their safeties are no longer guaranteed. We are seriously in a despicable society where human lives had been likened to that of an animal that can be taken away so cheaply. Obviously, society had forced the nation of becoming a country that cherishes no freedom and human dignity. Many cruddy cases to support the claims.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians had criticized what they believe is a degenerate society. The worrisome state of the society under a wretched security system had not been favourable to our human existence. And many have been victims of a degenerate society we find ourselves. A reported case of a woman, Jegede Abosede Odunayo in Ilesa, Osun state Nigeria who was declared missing on her way to work and later found her dead body inside the boot of her car beside a river. Also, a case of Dr. Abdul fatai Aborode in Igangan, Oyo state Nigeria who was tied to a tree and brutally butchered with machete for complaining that Herdsmen had destroyed his 400 acres cashew farm. And this man as reported had assisted greatly in employment opportunities by employing over three hundred people in his cashew farm.What a monumental disaster!
Similarly, there is a reported case of one Adetunji olayinka who ran abroad when he received a threatening message from political hoodlums/black Axe mafia group and his wife and children had to take refuge at his wife mother’s uncle’s house in Badagry, Lagos. Incidentally, the uncle, Egnr Komolafe by name got killed on 10th of January, 2021 and his father-in-law was as well murdered on 4th February, 2021 in ikorodu, Lagos. His family had to travel to one of the neighbouring African countries for safety when glaringly there is no other place as refuge for them in Nigeria. What a family in disarray!
It was later hinted that this man’s problem could be in connection with the project he handled, the conversion project of Late Samuel Ladoke Akintola residence in Ogbomoso. Meanwhile, Adetunji Olayinka is an Architect, politician and an author on conflict resolution management. He is a professional who is active in building industry. Architect Adetunji has been part of design team of many Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branches. He is a project Architect on the conversion of Late Samuel Ladoke Akintola’s residence into Resort center/Museum/State library in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Nigeria. It was gathered that Architect Adetunji had been severally attacked by the hoodlums believed to be sponsored by political opponents of Late Samuel Ladoke Akintola and perhaps,for his involvement in the conversion project of the Late elder statesman’s residence before he decided to run abroad for safety.
It is quite not interesting when pondering over nasty situation of things in the country as far as security system is concerned.The position of our security system is mind boggling and demoralizing.Government intervention is urgently needed to arrest the state of anarchy our society is becoming under unnerving security of our dear nation. Security operatives must be charged to the task as they are trying but not enough through sending abroad for security training so as to change their orientations, adequate remunerations must be given into consideration so as to bring out the best in them and most importantly, security operational system must be improved upon via the provision of modern equipments for defence mechanisms. And it is a truism to say that the development of any nation depends on a perfect peace and tranquility and in achieving the required peaceful coexistence environment, security should be given priority as a leverage in this regard. If some of our citizens who can assist greatly in job securities because government cannot do it alone are running out of the country because of porous security, sincerely, this is down in the mouth. Our atrocious security system needs urgent and most important attention so that the citizenry could be bold enough of being saved in their fatherland.
Omooba Folarin Lawal is a writer and he writes for public consumption.
folalawal2004@y ahoo.com