The primary main signal of a failing authorities is its deliberate politicisation of insecurity. Sadly, that is precisely what is going on at the moment in Abia State below the watch of Dr Alex Otti and he wants sound recommendation from well-meaning folks throughout the nation earlier than he digs himself and the state additional into the insecurity gap.
I learn a press release dated 18th November 2024 which was credited to Governor Otti and launched by his media aide with the caption “Promoters of violence and insecurity in Abia pays a heavy worth,” whereby he acknowledged, amongst different issues that, “following collection of tip-off from patriotic residents and dependable intelligence, it has been firmly established that some unpatriotic politicians, in connivance with some exterior events are behind the present wave of violence and crime within the state for the reason that finish of Might this yr.”
Whereas not offering any shred of proof to justify its hasty and ill-advised assertion, the federal government additional made self-indicting assertion to the impact that “Authorities needs to strongly warn that anybody that makes an attempt to play politics with the lives and property of harmless Abians needs to be able to face the implications, as authorities will not tolerate such acts, irrespective of who’s behind them.”
I make daring to state that it’s truly the federal government of Otti that’s taking part in politics with the lives and property of the folks of our pricey state by failing to grasp how unhelpful and crude its assertion is within the quest for the search of options.
Equally, the plain panic within the assertion and resort to politicisation of insecurity can be a transparent signal of cluelessness and failure to grasp methods to successfully handle insecurity and in the end enhance the wellbeing of our folks.
Mr Governor, kindly pay attention to the next: 1. Each previous administration in Abia State confronted a number of safety challenges which have been managed with out making an attempt to politicise them. The leaders of these administrations merely understood {that a} crime is dedicated by a felony whose ethnic, spiritual, and political affiliation, if any, are inconsequential.
2. Collaboration with residents yields precious info that helps to root out criminals and people residents can solely present such useful intelligence within the absence of actual or threatened political and social backlash to them.
3. Working with constitutionally recognised safety businesses with the instruments to dispassionately examine crimes and the required socio-political neutrality is the most effective strategy that delivers sustainable options to insecurity. Making an attempt to show and focus safety businesses in direction of your political opponents is a transparent signal of unmitigated failure in management.
4. Politically motivated allegations and insinuations don’t remedy safety challenges, therefore skilled leaders keep away from such as a result of it merely permits the true criminals to thrive and multiply whereas the federal government engages in shadow boxing with harmless individuals who in the end know nothing concerning the insecurity and are in the principle as fearful as each different individual however prepared to supply help to the federal government.
5. The general public posturing and physique language of Governor Otti make it troublesome for even his allies to supply seemingly opposite however useful info to his publicly held view because the chief. Individuals have a tendency to inform the chief what he needs to listen to and never essentially the reality just because he adopted an “Eze Onye Agwalam” (I do know all of it) strategy to management.
6. A cautious examine of safety patterns, surroundings and people or teams hitherto related to perpetrating violent acts yields way more options than political title calling in managing insecurity in our state. Through the administration that preceded that of Otti, we skilled way more safety challenges than what he’s grappling with at the moment…, but it was all tackled with out politicisation and Abia ended up being recognised because the most secure state within the South-East and among the many prime three in Nigeria. Governor Otti inherited the safety structure and solely wanted to enhance on it.
7. Governor Otti is presently receiving the best sum of money as safety votes within the historical past of Abia State and the South-East but he’s wrongly parceling off his management failures to unnamed “opposition” whereas entertaining himself with cash meant to help safety companies in our pricey state. It’s time to ask him to call these politicians within the opposition which can be answerable for insecurity in Abia in order that they’ll defend themselves earlier than acceptable safety businesses.
Lastly, let me level out that Abia State was not created in Might 2023 as Governor Alex Otti has tried to persuade himself. Others earlier than him effectively managed the state with eyes on the ball and achieved nice outcomes like enhancements in safety, youth employment and infrastructural improvement with out having half of the assets now positioned at his disposal. His private angle to management is on the coronary heart of his failures and recourse to make-believe governance that the opposition is railing towards.
I strongly doubt there’s anybody within the “opposition” that may profit from unleashing insecurity on our folks for political good points. Certainly, to the most effective of my data, no one advantages from insecurity other than felony components whose good points are normally brief lived because the legislation in the end catches up with them. Otti is merely distracting himself along with his public statements that lack substance and empirical foundation.
Governor Otti should be studying the newspapers he buys with thousands and thousands of tax payers cash each month and will need to have seen that different states within the south east area are additionally dealing with related safety challenges as Abia. I’m but to learn Governors Chukwuma Soludo and Peter Mbah of Anambra and Enugu States, respectively, blame their political opponents for it although the state of affairs appears far more harmful in these states. I subsequently strongly suggest that Governor Otti comes down from his excessive horse and go for peer tutorials to assist him perceive methods to handle insecurity with out politicization.
Insecurity impacts everybody and certainly no one advantages from it. It doesn’t even assist to alter political outcomes because the historical past of our nation and neighboring states have proved, therefore, no sane individual will search to make use of it for political good points. That Governor Otti is bent on this ill-advised politicisation of insecurity is the surest signal of unfitness for workplace he has proven up to now and it is very important assist him rapidly change course via this public recommendation: deal with criminality as criminality and politics as politics for the sake of our folks.
Our Governor, please don’t arrange the state for crimes to flourish via chasing political shadows whereas actual criminals thrive and broaden their operational territories inside our beloved state. Change course by repudiating your ill-advised statements, go all related info to the safety authorities for verification and co-opt all residents, together with former leaders of Abia State, that can assist you battle off the present upsurge in crimes.
Our ideas and prayers are with the victims and their family members. Hopefully, Governor Otti will get up from his “sleeping slumber” to genuinely enlist the help of all residents to guard our folks according to his oath of workplace. No person is joyful that our state is dealing with this heightened insecurity and we should all genuinely assist your authorities.
John Okiyi Kalu, former Commissioner for Info; Commerce and Funding, Abia State
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