Sheriffdeen Tella
The Amotekun project, which indicates what the Yourba would refer to as ‘ise opolo’ (literarily, brain work) should by now be part of the Oxford dictionary, given the amount of interests it has generated within and outside Yorubaland. It has become headache for those who cannot fathom the thought behind its creation, as they were caught off guard with the emergence of the project. It is not the fear of the leopard or what the leopard is capable of doing that is of concern to those who would have Amotekun killed but probably their ability to comprehend the extent of the bandwagon effect it would have on other ‘disregarded’ political zones in the country.
A cursory review of the positioning of security institutions and outfits in the country shows that the core north is the main, if not the only beneficiary of national security projects. It is as if other parts of the country are crime or insecurity incident-free. So far, the Federal Government has behaved as if only the North deserves security apparatus. All the security institutions like military and police universities or higher institutions are established in the North, just as the institution for production of arms and ammunition is. Such security arrangement and consequently the secure environment so created make the northern states more attractive to domestic and external investments than other parts of Nigeria. This invariably will promote job creation and employment. Implicit in such an arrangement are the unequal resource allocation and skewed development.
The major security problem in the North has to do with the hydra-headed Boko Haram which remains terrifying despite huge human and financial resources committed to fighting it. The Middle Belt and southern parts of the country are also insecure with the bloodletting activities of AK-47-carrying herdsmen, cattle rustlers, armed robbers and kidnappers. So, the whole country depicts a picture of insecurity or unsecured environment. Such an environment prevents both domestic and foreign investors from committing their funds to expand existing businesses or starting new business ventures.
Just as the North needs a secure environment for living and economic activities, the rest of the country also deserves the same treatment. Just as Boko Haram is wasting lives in the North, kidnapping, armed robbery and herdsmen nefarious activities are snuffing lives out of people in other zones. It is even clear that if the multinational military forces working on Boko Haram members and mercenaries prevent them from moving northward, they would have to turn towards the South. It is already happening with displaced people from the North, as they are migrating to many states in the Middle Belt and southern Nigeria. Many okada riders in our localities in the South-West are mainly from the North. Sooner than later, they will start constituting security risks to other citizens by conniving with local miscreants.
By and large, the other parts of Nigeria deserve to be secured and if the Federal Government is not looking their sides, the state governments have the responsibility to secure lives and property of their environment. It is even more important for the South-West which is the most industrial part of Nigeria and where revenue from Value Added Tax is highest. The issue of revenue is very important to execution of the federal and state budgets and everything must be done to protect all the areas where revenues come from in big or small doses.
The establishment of Amotekun is a valid response to the Federal Government’s inability or insensitivity to the security needs of the people of the South-West. The state governments have to make the environment conducive to living, investments, job creation and sustainable development. Another part of the ‘ise opolo’ is the decision to pull resources together for the project. The pool of resources makes the load easy for individual state participation and should equally enhance cross-fertilisation of ideas in implementing the project. Amotekun promoters may be looking at it from the security aspects but it goes beyond that. Its economic benefits are great and that should be the rationale for other zones and particularly, just like the allocation of resources to other existing security institutions and outfits. The need for the Federal Government to vote money for the project is equally imperative, for that central government to continue to get increased revenue from VAT and personal income tax as well as to encourage both offshore portfolio and direct investments.
If the Federal Government has the intension to generate 100 million jobs in a decade, the people engaged directly in Amotekun project are part of the 100 million to be taken out of the unemployment market. The local and foreign investments that the project will invariably sustain and promote will lead to job creation and massive employment with resultant improvement in national income. Eventually, the APC government will be the indirect but ultimate beneficiary of the novel idea when they start campaigning for 2023. Rather than vilify, everyone must respect the promoters of Amotekun idea and contribute to fine-tuning the project as we move forward with it.
Tella is Professor of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye
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