LAST week, governors of the six South-West states reaffirmed their full support for the establishment of state police even as they commended the relative peace in the region, which they attributed to the collaboration between the national security agencies and Amotekun. The governors made their position known after a closed-door meeting held at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja. The meeting had in attendance Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Ayedatiwa (Ondo), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and the host, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Reading the 11-point communiqué issued at the end of the parley, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the governors commended the House of Representatives and South-West caucus for their efforts in passing the South-West Development Commission Bill and looked forward to its speedy passage by the Senate. Besides, he said, the forum equally commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the groundbreaking of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the proposed Lagos-to-Sokoto road, urging the Federal Government to rehabilitate other federal roads in the region. The forum also encouraged the Federal Government’s efforts on mineral resource exploitation, positing that there should be further collaboration between the Federal Government and states, especially in granting leases to investors.
Sanwo-Olu added: “On food security, the forum acknowledges the efforts of the Federal Government and decides that the Honourable Commissioners for Agriculture of all the states should begin to meet and set up a working template, which will ensure collaboration based on each state’s comparative advantage. The forum agrees to strengthen the DAWN Commission on operational efficiency and charges the commission to focus on economic integration, cooperation, and investment promotion in the South-West states. To that end, each state is mandated to appoint a state focal person.”
Insofar as it is geared towards regional cooperation and fostering developmental initiatives, the meeting of the South-West governors is welcome. Indeed, the meeting ought to have been held long before now. The communique issued on the occasion is also welcome, particularly in putting on the front burner the critical issue of state policing and the rejigging of the Nigerian federation. There is no doubt that in the face of the massive, unprecedented security threats confronting the country, the decentralisation of the policing system is an attractive option. All other things being equal, it will create a better platform for addressing the security challenges and enable development to thrive. In particular, if institutionalised and properly deployed, state policing will help to address the constant assaults on farmers by terrorists, which has hobbled food production and contributed to the massive hike in the prices of staple foods, leading to massive hunger and deprivation in the land. The governors should heighten their advocacy on state policing, liaise with the Federal Government and the National Assembly, and ensure that it goes into operation this year. It should not be a mere talking point.
We notice that as expected, the meeting touched on crucial issues of regional integration, a framework that is badly needed to address some of the developmental challenges that confront the South-West zone and indeed the country at large. No doubt, the people of the South-West and indeed all Nigerians will welcome the forum’s resolve “to strengthen the DAWN Commission on operational efficiency” and the charge “to focus on economic integration, cooperation, and investment promotion in the South-West states.” In this regard, though, we would have expected the governors to provide specific details of the areas of cooperation envisaged and give a timeline of delivery. That would have shown evidence of proper preparations and home work on the roll-out of developmental projects across the zone, particularly in the areas of agriculture, power, road construction, and the rail system.
Timely and promising as the meeting and the resolve of the governors are, we hope that the governors realise that they will be judged by the concrete achievements they are able to muster, not rhetoric. The governors must be focused and determined to achieve their stated objectives. They should take a cue from the Obafemi Awolowo programmes, engaging in collaborations that will address critical infrastructure needs and help to reduce poverty in the zone. In particular, the short shift given to agriculture in the zone should be addressed. The governors must go beyond meetings and communiques and work concretely for the growth and development of their people and region. There are enough structures of collaboration to build upon to effect real development in the region, as reflected in the modest successes recorded by the Amotekun initiative. We expect the governors to explore the same collaborative and cooperative spirit to jumpstart real advancement in the area of provision of food, electricity and rail transport in the region.
The people of the region are looking for concrete deliverables in terms of development and associated welfare and not just the rhetorical opportunities provided by meetings and communiques.
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