Protecting Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital from bandits

“Lagos will, in the foreseeable future, remain the nation’s commercial capital and one of its nerve centres. But in terms of servicing the present infrastructure alone, the committed amount of money and effort required will be such that Lagos State will not be ready to cope. It will even be unfair to expect the state […]

“Lagos will, in the foreseeable future, remain the nation’s commercial capital and one of its nerve centres. But in terms of servicing the present infrastructure alone, the committed amount of money and effort required will be such that Lagos State will not be ready to cope. It will even be unfair to expect the state to bear this heavy burden on its own. It is, therefore, necessary for the federal government to continue to sustain the substantial investment in the area and maintain a special defence and security arrangement in Lagos, which will henceforth be designated a special area.”
The above were the words of the late General Murtala Mohammed during a nationwide broadcast on February 3, 1976, announcing the need to move the nation’s capital from Lagos to Abuja.
Forty years down the lane, every word in the quote regarding collaboration with the Centre of Excellence to ensure development and security remains an illusion. Lagos has not only been abandoned, the occupiers of the new capital, at a point, made it a duty to withhold allocations due to the state and still owe the state some monies used to maintain federal infrastructures.
Since the federal capital was moved to Abuja, not many infrastructures in Lagos State have emanated from the federal government. The last major project executed by the federal government in Lagos is said to be the Third Mainland Bridge.
In recent times, there has been a rising spate of insecurity in Lagos, perpetrated by unknown bandits who are desperate to hold the state by its jugular. And they should not be referred to as militants; they are simply cThe situation has become worrisome, especially in the light of palpable silence by the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari. What is the importance of Lagos State to this present administration?
In view of the upsurge in attacks on the city of Lagos, a lawmaker, Babajimi Benson, moved a motion on July 14, 2016, calling on the federal government to secure riverine communities in Lagos State. He urged the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to protect the lives and properties of the people in the state.
As a state, Lagos has proved to be the highest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria aside states with oil and gas. According to a former speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Lagos is the biggest entity in West Africa in terms of population and GDP.
So when one measures the capital investments in Lagos with the corresponding capital needed to protect lives, properties and investments, it will be foolhardy for any government to abandon the state to its fate.
About two weeks ago, the Oniba of Ibaland, a first class monarch, was abducted right in his palace, after which the bandits laid siege on the Igando/Iba community. They disappeared into the creeks when security operatives tried to engage them.
Like a cancerous worm, the activities of these bandits ought to wake the federal government from its slumber. Gradually but persistently, their activities are being allowed to fester.
As a matter of urgency, the federal government needs to reconsider its security priorities. The time is now.
Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni,  [email protected]