Security: Sanwo-Olu must do better

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu

THE multidimensional status of Lagos as a miniature Nigeria, the commercial nerve centre of the country and the fifth largest economy in Africa is being blighted by incidents of brazen attacks on innocent citizens by armed hoodlums at night and in broad daylight. This is bad news for the Centre of Excellence and must be urgently controlled. Security is everything.

From Iyana-Ipaja to Lekki-Epe Expressway, hoodlums attack commuters returning from work, dispossessing them of their valuables, especially money, laptops, and mobile phones at gunpoint. They have become so audacious that they use Point of Sale machines to cart away their victims’ hard-earned savings. This ugly development must be addressed swiftly.

There have been flashes of arrests across the state, including 25 suspected hoodlums allegedly attacking motorists on Lagos-Epe Expressway in August. Arrests also took place at Oshodi. The suspects must be prosecuted to achieve deterrence value.

The menace of hoodlums is stifling Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Security and Governance Development Agenda. He must not yield the state to hoodlums.

Although major crimes such as killings, armed robbery, bank robbery, and robbery appear to be receding, the people are at the receiving of the yawning gaps of the SGDA. Crime has moved to the streets. Sanwo-Olu should tame the monster. The insecurity of one is the insecurity of all.

During Buba Marwa’s tenure as military governor, he secured Lagos and checkmated the activities of hoodlums (area boys). However, democracy, with its unfettered freedom and self-serving politics brought the jeun soke syndrome that compromised the safety and security of the citizens and returned Lagos to a place of violence.

Amid the crass insecurity, former Governor Raji Fashola tamed the monster by introducing innovations. The Accelerated Light up Lagos Programme was introduced to deliver reliable power supply to the state.

Under the arrangement, the streets of Lagos were well-lit to put the activities of the hoodlums in check at night. Vehicles were procured for patrol purposes by the security agents, pioneer emergency call centres were established, and the publication of security numbers for use during emergencies was introduced to keep Lagos and its residents safe and secure.

In 2007, the Fashola administration enacted the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. This led the private sector to collaborate with the government. The cash and kind contributions from the LSSTF boosted the security system.

The missing link that has produced the return of the area boys now is the failure of the government to appropriately sustain these initiatives and introduce more innovations for the safety and security of Lagosians. As such, citizens now suffer crushing attacks by hoodlums.

Sanwo-Olu should return to the basics and sustain the innovations of his predecessors while prioritising security for optimum results.

The light-up programme is a strong deterrence. Criminality thrives in darkness. As the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos should revive its night-time economy and add the safest state in Africa to its status.

Insecurity is bad news for sustainable development, foreign investments, and the government’s image.

Therefore, the governor should muster the courage to rein in the area boys. The government should think out of the box and empower them to get them out of the streets and deal with youth unemployment.

The state’s security budget and the governor’s security allocation should be channelled towards security delivery.

The hoodlums are aggressive because the security agencies are overwhelmed. The agencies must revive their surveillance and intelligence networks to rein in the hoodlums and bring them to justice.

Security is the plank upon which governance is built. Sanwo-Olu must prioritise it and leave a legacy of service delivery behind.