~ By Debo Akinbami, PhD
”We acknowledge that the most fundamental essence of any government is to secure life and property. We hold this sacred duty dearly as the primary constitutional mandate of our government. We do know, of course, that, of other needs, it is the most basic for citizens. It’s the core of the social contract; the biggest of the deals. Rest assured that we are committed to doing this most essential duty.” – Governor Aiyedatiwa.
The people’s trust is built on the assurance of safety; it is built even more on evident acts of safeguarding. And, by the weight of his own words, the Governor is well aware of the enormity of this obligatory role. At this rate, the very first condition – the reassurance that citizens entrust their lives and belongings to a capable hand – is being fulfilled.
But there are heresies. There are groundless theories; spurious claims suggesting that the government is doing less; yet facts are sacred. Needless to say that security matters aren’t the sort one equates with beer-parlour banters; but a shrewd and solemn business that requires the sternest approach; whose success determines the survival of other personal or corporate interests. That is how high the stakes are.
To suggest a security relapse in Ondo State is to be tendentious. The Aiyedatiwa-led administration is showing capacity; hence, it places security on the front burner. The governor appreciates the fact that the best of governmental efforts would amount to a naught where citizens harbour existential fears; that only a truly secure state can guarantee the safety of her people and institutions.
For Ondo State, the indicia are clear enough. They are evident in the number and size of investments that Aiyedatiwa, through deliberate acts, attracts. This includes the landmark $50 billion industrial hub project that comes with the capacity to boost energy security, create jobs, and attract stouter investments. No investor takes his money to a troubled state, after all.
Even so, the emergence of Ondo State as Nigeria’s most fiscally disciplined sub-national government, through significant domestic debt reduction by 82.6 percent, speaks to stability in the state; yet the state continues to invest steadily and heavily in intelligence gathering, equipment, training, communication, motivation and logistics, while leaving no stone unturned in addressing other dynamics of threat.
In the manner he coordinates security actors and activities in the state, the Governor displays impressive mastery of security management; this can be seen in the complementary approach to work among the security agencies. In like manner, the strides Amotekun (The Western Nigeria Security Network) is daily making marks a height in competence and morale.
The Governor prioritizes security, knowing that security is not an end in itself, but an essential precondition if other aspects of life and society must function maximally. He recognizes that, without effectively shielding the state, other fundamental freedoms are undermined. He is doing so much in this regard so that people can live without fear and the state continues to attract meaningful investments; so that local businesses and other economic activities continue to thrive.
Aiyedatiwa does more than he says. It is a matter of style. He prefers the language of results than sloganeering, and that has repeatedly proved effectual. As the Chief Security Officer, he knows and sees more than the seers among us; and when all is said and done, he transmits the esoteric knowing into a state whose dwellers can sleep with their two eyes closed. And when next the question arises about what Aiyedatiwa does on the security front, tell a neighbor he wants every soul safe.
***Dr. Akinbami is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on Strategic Communication.
