On South-west joint task force on security
It was reported last Monday that South-west governors met in Abeokuta, Ogun State over security situation in the region. According to newspapers’ report, the meeting which was attended by all governors in the South-west including Lagos, among other resolutions declared zero tolerance for crime in the region, agreed to establish western Nigeria export development initiatives […]
It was reported last Monday that South-west governors met in Abeokuta, Ogun State over security situation in the region. According to newspapers’ report, the meeting which was attended by all governors in the South-west including Lagos, among other resolutions declared zero tolerance for crime in the region, agreed to establish western Nigeria export development initiatives and change name to western Nigeria governors’ forum.
The governors deserve commendation for coming together for this meeting in spite of the party differences. However, they need to be told that crime cannot be reduced in view of lack of employment opportunities for school leavers, including graduates of tertiary institutions, economic hardship in the land, non-payment of workers’ salaries and emoluments. The blame for the above is laid at the door step of our government. An adage says, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The menace of Badoo boys in Lagos, kidnapping, armed robbery are all due to unemployment and economic hardship in the land. If the youths are employed, many will not take to crime. Also, public education has to be seriously funded if we really mean to reduce crime in our clime. Some schools in the South-west are under lock and key. What do the governors expect the students to be doing at home?
On regional integration, the governors meetings are turning into mere talk shops. No practical steps have been taken towards South-west integration since the initiative was unveiled almost eight years ago.
The failure of the LAUTECH project is a clear indication that the regional integration as being mouthed by our governors is chimera. This is the institution owned by just two states of Oyo and Osun. It made steady progress during the days of the military. However, since the coming of civilian rule and particularly since 2003 or thereabout, the school has been in crisis. The institution has been on and off since early 2016 till date, due to non-funding by the two states with Osun being the major culprit. The irony is that two of the governors pursuing regional integration are Visitors to LAUTECH. If the two states cannot maintain a university, how can six states jointly fund any project successfully?. To be taken seriously on regional integration in the South-west, LAUTECH case is a litmus test for our governors. Their failure or success will determine how far their regional integration project will go.
Adewuyi Adegbite can be reached at: [email protected]