…….Gov. Uba Sani: Security Challenges And Kaduna State Security Trust Fund, By Emmanuel Ado
Senator Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna State, aptly sees words and actions as entirely two different things. This is so because he is a man of very few words but much action. Over the years, the actions he had taken or didn’t have unambiguously communicated his thoughts and goals. He has thus acquired a good reputation of a man who is always walking the talk or, as they say, a man whose actions speak louder than his words.
As a Senator of the Federal Republic, Uba Sani had shown keen interest in the security challenges that had bedeviled his dear Kaduna State,unknown to him he would one day be the governor. This propelled him to sponsor four consequential bills for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution, to allow for the establishment of state police. He strongly believes that bringing policing closer to the grassroots would enhance the security of lives and property of the citizens. The Kaduna Central Senatorial District which governor Sani had the honour to represent, was going by security reports the worst affected by the activities of criminals and terrorists.
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The bills he sponsored were a bold initiative that would have fundamentally restructured the security architecture, and helped in addressing the lingering security challenges facing, not just Kaduna state, but the entire country.
There is absolutely no doubt that the security agencies are clearly overwhelmed by the security challenges, ranging from terrorism to sundry criminality. And until the National Assembly summons the necessary political will to effect the necessary reforms to the policing system, the problem will persist.
It would not be out of place for Governor Sani to initiate active engagement with the leadership of the National Assembly on the establishment of the community police, taking things from where he stopped, considering that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being an unwavering advocate of restructuring, would not hesitate to sign off on such constitutional amendment, once the National Assembly passes it, unlike former president Muhammadu Buhari who killed the bill based on fears of misuse.
Governor Sani deserves commendation for remaining ever alert to his responsibility to Kaduna State citizens and their security, as can be seen from the special attention that he pays to the security challenges and his refusal to fold his hands and helplessly watch his people being kidnapped, or their animals rustled by us the mindless bandits and terror merchants. This has not come as asurprise to keen observers.
Governor Sani, certainly can’t afford to sleep, or be complacent, when Kaduna state, and some other states in the expansive North West zone, are blighted by high level of insecurity. More often than not, victims are not only deprived of their right to life, but survivors are denied the pursuit of legitimate livelihood.
While the Kaduna State Governor would have conveniently taken refuge in the constitutional abnormality that glorifies governors as “Chief Security Officers”, but without any control whatsoever of security agents (security agencies being exclusively under the control of the Federal Government), he has bluntly refused to take that easy way out. Governor Sani, despite these constitutional limitations, has continued to fashion out initiatives (to the extent that he can) to improve the security of lives and property of his subjects. He understands that what Kaduna state citizens need are solutions..
It’s governor Sani’s perfect understanding of the nature of the challenges that has led him to continue to work on several initiatives, the most recent being the establishment of the Kaduna State Security Trust Fund and the creation of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), to frontally address the security challenges in the state.
In Gov Sani’s words: “The Kaduna State Government is looking at the possibility of establishing the Kaduna State Security Trust Fund as a means of collaborating with corporate organizations, the business community, industrialists, professional groups, individuals and all critical stakeholders towards enhancing material and logistic support to our security forces.”
You may want to ask, why is governor Sani setting up the Kaduna State Security Trust Fund, and in what way will it help in the war on terror?
First, the SUSTAIN AGENDA is for a Safer and more secure kaduna state. It’s also an option borne out of the fact that the state government cannot go it alone, hence the Trust Fund. More importantly, it shows the determination of Governor Sani to tackle headlong the security challenges facing his state.
Secondly, the governor is trying to raise the much needed funds to adequately support ongoing and future military interventions. Unknown to most Nigerians is that previous military operations in Kaduna State and other North-West states failed woefully due to funding challenges, and because the armed forces lacked the requisite manpower to simultaneously lunch operations in the troubled states,which gave the terrorists the room to maneuver. Therefore, the Kaduna State Government is proactively working to improve its capacity to fund military operations, considering that it can’t go it alone due to the obvious financial constraints.
When fully operational, the Kaduna State Security Trust Fund will source for resources in cash and kind from corporate organizations (Public & Private) and well-meaning individuals to support security agencies with crime fighting equipment, logistic supports, insurance schemes for for security operatives, and more.
The establishment of the Forward Operating Bases (FOB’s), by the Kaduna State Government will no doubt help mitigate the problem of inadequate manpower and increase the capacity of the armed forces to operate, just like the Americans did in Afghanistan. Governor Sani’s initiative is a short term measure that will subsist until the federal government is able to embark on massive recruitment into the various security agencies. While the initiative will not give the military the number that’s critical in the war against insurgency,it will help it to strategically maximize available resources.
Governor Sani, on his own part, has engaged 7,000 additional vigilantes to compliment the security services. According to him: “We strengthened the manpower and overall operational capacity of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS), because of the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements. It’s our hope that with their knowledge of the local environment, bandits will now have no hiding place”.
It could be said, quite commendably, that the Kaduna State Government has adopted a more robust and holistic strategy in its war efforts against insecurity. This is apt because, it is only a strategically coordinated, all out war, that can resolve the security crisis and restore normalcy in various parts of the state. Half-measures and lukewarm attitude have not yielded good results, and will never do. Nigeria is technically at war.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government must vigorously exercise its constitutional powers and spearhead a national effort to strengthen the security agencies. It’s good to know that Governor Sani is using his excellent relationship with President Tinubu to push for prompt action, which is not limited to recruitment of more men and women, acquisition of modern technology, and advanced armaments. These measures stand as silver linings in the horizon, pointing to improved security for the people of Kaduna State, courtesy of a capable governor..
