EDITORIAL
The past few days saw more attacks launched by bandits not only in Kaduna State, but in other north-west states such as Sokoto and Zamfara. The challenge is an expansive one, and calls have been made by different persons for more to be done to curb the menace.
We, at ElRUFAi News Magazine, not long ago called on the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to be more expansive in his efforts to deal with the menace. This is especially in the area of men and manpower to augment what the FG has. For it is clear that the current arrangement which gives the FG all the powers and the apparatuses to provide security has not been what we all expect. Our call was predicated on two points. One, plans and programmes as well as how they were executed since the El-Rufai Administration arrived power showed a governor who could turn things on their head, and the right side up if he chose to work at it. We see this in the reforms he has embarked upon, including the sanitization that has resulted in the formation of KATELEA, the state’s traffic and environmental regulation and enforcement body. There are more examples like this which well-meaning residents of the state are fully aware of and over which they have commended the governor in their interactions with ElRUFAi News Magazine.
With regard to the security situation in the state, even the governor has been acknowledging that something new and extra has to be done. He has to. Any political leader who is for the people and not for other selfish motives must necessarily do as he has done. El-Rufai has been letting it be known that he’s fully aware and he is concerned about what is happening in the state.
For instance, on Tuesday, 13th July 2021, he noted thus: “We have just been presented with another set of sobering statistics on the state of security in Kaduna State. The data on security incidents in the state during the second quarter of 2021 reflects the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress. The report also outlines what the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies are doing to contain the situation and relieve the situation in our communities.
“The report just presented by our Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs shows that security incidents happened all over the state in the three months from April to June 2021. The Kaduna Central Senatorial District remains the most impacted by these incidents, as it was in the Security Incidents Reports for 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.”
“As Governor of this state, it is a matter of profound regret for me that our considerable investments in security are yet to manifest in the defeat or at least the considerable degradation of the criminals that menace our people. We have consistently supported the federal security agencies deployed to our state with logistics and equipment. Apart from these recurrent expenses, the Kaduna State Government has undertaken capital expenditure to provide facilities that can multiply the capacity of security agencies to deter crime and conduct effective investigations of those that do occur. We created the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to provide a specialised institution to coordinate these investments and our liaison with the federal security agencies.”
From the outset, we were convinced at ElRUFAi News Magazine that one of the major steps taken to deal with security challenges in Kaduna State, that is the creation of a specialized Ministry and the energetic Commissioner, Samuel Aruwa, whom the governor placed over it was a good one. We have not been disappointed, and even the governor has profusely commended his able Commissioner. For the simple reason that Aruwa is a member of our constituency, we at ElRUFAi News Magazine are even more satisfied because it is an indication that a journalist can be good in matters of administration as anyone else if he puts his mind in it.
Having noted this however, ElRUFAi News Magazine is also convinced that since the security situation has largely defied some of the current approaches whereby the FG alone sends in men, the approach has to be amended. This has been witnessed in several other states where governors have formed security apparatuses in addition to those of the FG. For it is obvious that these FG bodies can hardly do it all alone. This was the second reason we stated not long ago that we believed Gov. El-Rufai was able come up with a body that could be a game changer, for he had always been a game changer in all the other public officers he had held. So we found it curious that he hadn’t taken that step in Kaduna State with regard to the setting up of a security apparatus, and we stated this a few weeks ago, even as we stated that the governor had to do something along that direction considering the current security challenges facing Kaduna State.
ElRUFAi News Magazine was therefore not surprised that a few weeks ago, the governor announced that he had begun to look in the direction we knew he must have given serious thought right from the time these security challenges raised their ugly head. He had stated thus: “The state government must be empowered and supported by the Federal Government to make up the manpower deficit in the security sector. An unconventional approach is required to enable us better to protect our communities and we are engaging with the Federal Government and the leadership of the security agencies on this. We are pursuing this initiative, even as we nudge the Federal Government to launch simultaneous operations across all the seven states of the Northwest and Niger State.”
Ever since the governor stated this, we at ElRUFAi News Magazine had waited eagerly to see him execute what he promised. We know when the execution happens there shall be that special El-Rufai touch to it. We knew he would create an apparatus that would be a model to be copied in other states, not something that would amount to a jamboree that would end in failure. He had shown what he could do under challenging and seemingly insurmountable circumstances in the past, even when he was the Minister of the FCT, a reason everyone still refers to the El-Rufai Years in the FCT. Now, with the continued and incessant attacks launched by criminals in Kaduna State, we urge Gov. El-Rufai to fast-track the implementation of the plan he has stated. He should make it come on stream quickly, and work at it to ensure the people of Kaduna State applaud him in the area of security as they have been doing with regard to improved insfrastructure, reforms of public institutions as well as better conduct of government business which he has carried out.
