OUR STAND: Invest in people not in security

Maiden edition

Recently, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode launched the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, LNSC with a total of 177 salon cars and vehicles equipped with communication gadgets, 377 motorcycles, 377 helmets, 4,000 bicycles, metal detectors amongst other operational equipment.

Less than two months after the safety outfit was launched, people were not only kidnapped but killed at Ikorodu and other parts of the State, apart from other crimes that were unreported. The question is, where were the safety corps?

It appears that Nigerian leaders especially politicians don’t know the reality on ground. There is no doubt that the more unemployment, the more crime in the society.

Well, some may argue that the safety or security outfit has also created jobs for the youths but the question they fail to answer is, are the youth fulfilled? Is that the kind of work they want for themselves or they are just doing it because there is nothing else?

We believe that what the governor and others especially the federal government are doing is just a duplication of duty. In a country where we have Police, Civil Defence, the Military (Army, Airforce, Navy), even paramilitary like Customs, Immigration, Prisons, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, amongst others, always on the street, with private security guards, we are still creating additional safety/security outfits. Not forgetting the newly-created Peace Corps which is before the national assembly.

Even with the aforementioned, crime rate continue to soar; and committed on daily basis. One would have expected government at various levels to deploy these men to manage traffic and other related issues, but instead, some of them spent their time discussing in their offices, and waiting for the closing time to reach so that they could go home and rest.

All these are happening in a country where the unemployment rate is very high. Investigation shows that the country spends N4.62 trillion on National Security in five years, amidst claims by the security agencies that they are being underfunded.

Year after year, the security sector continues to gulp the highest chunk of the country’s expenditures. In the 2015 budget for instance, N934billion was allocated for the security sector, the highest for the year.

A newspaper reported that the figures for 2011 and 2012 were N920billion and N924billion respectively while N923billion each was thrown at the sector in 2013 and 2014. Yet, Nigeria is faced with continued kidnappings, crude oil theft, armed robbery and other sundry crimes.

It was also discovered that government at various levels have security votes which they don’t spend on any security issue hence these monies go into their private accounts unaccounted for and unquestioned.

Year in year out, various governments purchase vehicles, weapons, gadgets and gunboats, amongst others for security agencies to fight crimes but they never thought it wise to invest money on the youth. The Bible says, “The idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” So many youths are unemployed hence they are easily lured into crime.

Rather than purchase gadgets, gun-boats, vehicles and weapons to kill these youths why not invest the money into things that will engage them. For instance, the money can be invested into the manufacturing companies, textile industries, farming and even businesses.

Many of them have business ideas but need little capital to start and they have the tendency of empowering or engaging more youths as the business expands. Youths should be deployed to farm and paid even higher than those in the offices to encourage more people to go into that sector. The more the people, the more the harvest; and that will lead to food sustainability in the country which might also see us exporting to other countries. If we start exporting as it was in the past, the exchange rate of foreign currencies will be affected positively too.

Business men who would have created employment for people are also been frustrated out of business. They are forced to pay all sorts of monies ranging from taxes, VAT from local, state to federal governments. These people run their businesses on generators, harassed from all angles hence forcing them to either reduce their staff rate, or shut down the business while some leave the country for other countries.

The more the youths are engaged, the less the crime rates in the country. Government should make loans available to anybody that needs it not only to graduates. Some uneducated youths are better business men than some graduates.

Government should also as a priority, give loans to undergraduates or those willing to go to any school and as soon as they start working, they start deducting their monies from the persons. It will reduce the level of illiteracy in the country and to a large extent, reduce crime because it is a bit difficult to lure an enlightened person to crime.

The NYSC should also include in their scheme, business or self-sustenance education so that these graduates don’t remain jobless as they are finishing their service years.

Also, the idea of government giving N5,000 to individuals will not do this country any good. It will only create room for laziness, redundancy and low-productivity. It is better to teach them how to fish rather than give them fish on monthly basis. A woman started akara (baked beans) business with the sum of N5,000 and today, she is erecting a building.

Finally, rather than invest money into acquiring weapons, gadgets, vehicles and others on an annual basis to kill our youths and killing our future, let’s invest those monies in them, if truly, they are the leaders of tomorrow.