President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rolled out wide ranging security state of emergency in Nigeria with the most expansive police and military recruitment exercise in several years. All these took place when LEADERSHIP, in today’s edition, published an editorial suggesting how Mr. President can tackle the insecurity situation in the country. It all happened in the same week.
The proclamation comes against the backdrop of increased violence attacks in several states, reawakening concerns at the national level. Although most lawyers and security experts welcomed the step, the government needs to articulate clarity regarding the scope of the proclamation and how it can be implemented.
“The statement made by President Tinubu was not very clear,” said Dr. Kabir Adamu, Director General of Beacon Consulting & Security Services.
“Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution describes how a state of emergency can be declared, including the powers that can be exercised by the President in such regards and the role of the National Assembly,” he said.
“In this case, the President said that he was declaring a state of emergency in security, but there is no clarity in relation to what exactly he hopes to achieve,” said Adamu.
“If the President had declared a ‘war on banditry or terrorism’, it would have provided a clear perspective through which the military and security agencies could have built an operational blueprint,” he said.
Adamu was also doubtful about whether the above-said measures like large recruitments in the police, deployment of forest guards from the DSS, state police, and the implementation of ranches constitute an element of an emergency.
“All these are long-term initiatives. None of these things are an emergency response,” said the analyst, who worries that the announcement has less to do with practicality than politics.
Further, he observed that the President asked Nigerians to support the rescue mission but without defining how the citizenry was supposed to contribute towards the process.
“We can’t go to our farms. People have lost livelihoods. Our schools are under attack. These are situations that warrant an emergency, but there has to be clarity in our strategy,” said the official.
Contrastingly, Director Mohammed Abdullahi Jabi of Media, Public Affairs, and Communications at the International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS) welcomed the announcement.
“It is definitely a good and uplifting news. It is the first step in the right direction and a wake-up call to recruit many security personnel,” said the lawmaker, who stressed the need for Nigeria to strengthen its security agencies in terms of manpower. While the country awaits further information regarding the execution of the measure, the state of security emergency represents one of the most significant efforts by the government so far in dealing with the deteriorating security situation in the country.
