VIP SECURITY: A BANE TO THE NIGERIAN INSECURITY INITIATIVES

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 VIP SECURITY: A BANE TO THE NIGERIAN INSECURITY INITIATIVES

The fundamental role of any reasonable and serious government is the protection of lives and properties. A nation that cannot secure itself against internal insurrection and external aggression is a disaster waiting to happen. The first symptom of a failed state is a high level of insecurity.

Over the years, the Nigeria successive governments have made frantic efforts to rejig the Nigerian security architectures in the form of manpower development and procurement of security infrastructures, but these efforts have yielded little or no meaningful results. While there are so many reasons for this protracted problem, one of the major factors responsible for escalating cases of insecurity in Nigeria is the wrongful use and deployment of security personnel for unconstitutional duties.
To me, the call by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the withdrawal of VIP security is a right call worthy of commendation, but one which I've mixed feelings about. This to me is nothing but a political statement that may not see the light of day. I do hope however that the coming days will prove me wrong. My first doubt is based on previous antecedents - almost all past governments or at least the Inspector General of Police have made similar calls, but none has yielded meaningful results.
Why? The first reason is because of a lack of political will to do so. The second major reason is the failure to put in the needed security template to stop this ignoble trend. There is no doubt that there is palpable fear of insecurity in the land, and when this happens, people are prone to embark on self-help, and one of the ways to result to self-help is for those who can afford it to get extra security protection from the formal system and sometimes the informal system.
By and large, therefore, the culture of elite security or VIP security has become ingrained in the Nigeria system. It has even risen to a status symbol, and since an average Nigerian loves to show off, so every Tom, Dick, and Harry who can afford #50,000.00 and above can walk up to the nearest Police Station and request the service of a Policeman for a day. What this means is that such culture cannot be easily eliminated or removed with just a presidential statement, as the implementation of such an order will be nearly impossible.
What is the way forward? To me, if the government of the day is serious, the first thing is to embark on the recruitment of a special category of security personnel, perhaps to be called ELITE SECURITY under the Nigeria Police Force. These personnel should be well-trained in the protection of VIPs and securities. They may be allowed to carry some special category of arms and weapons. Their deployment should be that it is subject to serious scrutiny before deployment and must be such that it helps to promote progressive tax such that the rich and wealthy in the society pay more for other members of the society to be protected. The personnel must be given strict codes of operation such that any attempt for any of them to be used for illegal purposes or oppress innocent citizens will attract serious punishment such as suspension and even outright dismissal from the force. The elite for whom such officers worked must also be given special codes of usage and failure to abide by such codes should make such elite to be illegible to get new security persons in the future. More importantly, such VIPs should be made to pay heavy fines and or even be sent to prison for

reprimand.
The successful implementation of such a security template will among others ensure that the regular police face their constitutional duties, and help to generate the much-needed fund for security purposes.
The Lagos State Government for instance is sitting on a goldmine, if I were the Governor of the State, the Nigeria Neighborhood Security Corps should have as part of their duties the deployment of part of its personnel for elite duty and protection of private organizations who can afford them. This no doubt will help to further enhance the IGR of the State.
While this is not a one-for-all solution to all our insecurity problems, an effective policy that leads to the withdrawal of police for VIP protection is the starting point to a more secure and prosperous Nigeria.

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