President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has just approved the creation of a fully armed Forest Guard Corps. He claimed that it was part of a sweeping national initiative to reclaim Nigeria’s forests from terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal groups. We hope that this is achieved.
It is on record that Nigeria has 1,129 forest reserves, which were meant to serve as protected forest areas of significance to wildlife, flora, fauna, geological, or other characteristics of special interest. These reserves are maintained for conservation purposes and offer special opportunities for study or research.
Unfortunately, this noble intention of the government has been subverted by criminal and other undesirable elements. Most of these areas have become safe havens for armed non-state actors and other despoilers of state resources.
In a statement announcing this addition to the already clustered armed security scene, the federal government said that the corps will be professionally trained, equipped with weapons, and jointly recruited by the federal and state governments. The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Federal Ministry of Environment will coordinate implementation.
On the face of it, this new addition to the glut of security agencies is part of a broader multi-agency response that combines environmental protection with national security goals. The government is also touting this corps as a job-creating move that will provide thousands of young Nigerians an opportunity to be gainfully employed.
It is pertinent to stress that this newspaper will always align itself with every effort to restore sanity to Nigeria’s chaotic and life-threatening security situation. It is common knowledge that Nigerians, whether in transit, at their place of work, on their farms or in their homes, have become unduly security conscious, with their hearts always in their mouths, not knowing where and when the bandits, kidnappers and other miscreants are likely to show up in a manner that suggests that safety is now scarce commodity.
Given this scenario, we are compelled to commend the government for this move in the hope that it will bring about the much-desired ease in the society and guarantee that Nigerians can afford to sleep with their two eyes shut. We also hope the policy is based on sound advice and is devoid of political and other interests.
However, we are worried that similar initiatives in the past have failed to bring about the kind of result anticipated at inception, making this present one almost inevitable. We are also disturbed by the emerging trend that suggests security has become a big industry swirling in megabucks, with vested interests perpetuating its continued festering to enhance their pecuniary well-being.
We recall that under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the service chiefs lavishly boasted that terrorists had been degraded, defeated, or wiped out. But surprisingly, during a valedictory appearance before the National Assembly preceding their retirement, the same service chiefs told Nigerians of ungoverned territories and unwittingly raised doubts about their earlier claims. And that, after gulping humongous sums as security votes, most of them are extra-budgetary.
We are concerned that this is another bureaucracy with all its political manipulations and resource violations. At a time when the government is under pressure to implement the Oronsaye report, this new agency is one too many.
The government claims this agency will open up employment opportunities for the vast majority of unemployed youths. If this is done transparently, then a success would have been recorded in one aspect of the policy. But knowing the Nigerian factor, this is a tall order. Our reservations about this have risen to the level of apprehension, considering that the election is already around the corner, and the frenzy of political activity is gaining momentum. What is the guarantee that politicians will not hijack the process to flood the place with their hangers-on who, already officially armed, become a threat to the society it was set up to protect?
Nigerians expect to be assured that this initiative will not be abused in a way that will expose them to further grief, this time orchestrated by a government agency that deliberately decides to toe the path of mischief. Experts aver that combating insecurity goes beyond structures of this nature. Bandits, kidnappers and other sundry urchins cannot operate without godfathers who provide them with logistics, financial and political cover. These need to be exposed and shamed because they have the capacity and capability to infiltrate this corps and render its intentions inimical to public interest.
However, despite the embedded dissipation of resources and expansion beyond necessity that this initiative entails, we share the federal government’s anxiety and compelling commitment to public safety that may have influenced this policy thrust. We also argue that, maybe, this is the time to take a dispassionate look at the propositions for and against state police.
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