Area ‘M’ Commander to get official vehicle as the Police highlight areas of Police/Community collaborations; -- Language problem identified as the bane of Ruga project

Story by Toyo C. Ngem

Agnis James, representative of the Area 'M' Commander

THE Area Commander, Area ‘M’ Police Command, was on Wednesday promised to get official operational vehicle by the Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area, Honourable Kunle Sanyaolu Olowoopejo. But there were indications that the promise may as well had been made on behalf of the Chairperson of Igando-Ikotun LCDA too, Honourable Williams, given that the two LCDAs are jointly covered by the operations of the Command.

                Also emanating along this line of security issue was the explanation that the proposed Ruga project by the Federal Government was one of the best things that could happen to Nigeria in terms of food and social security if it had not being widely misunderstood to be a proposed widespread “Fulani Settlements”.

                These were the developments that came out of the 5^th Constituency Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Lagos State House of Assembly for Alimosho (Constituency 02), held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Igando-Ikotun LCDA Secretariat, Ikotun, Lagos.

The event is an annual forum that brings the members of legislative arm to a compulsory engagement of the people of their respective constituencies in the acts of governance in Lagos State. The constituents (the people) are expected to identify and highlight their areas of challenges, problems and perhaps proffer their thoughtful solutions with the sole aim that the government could find a means to capture them in the Budget Appropriation for a peoples’ oriented governance system.

The promise of official vehicle to Area Commander followed a revelation by the Area Crime Officer, Mr. Agnis James, that as much it was desirable for the Area Commander’s operational efficiency, he had no official vehicle directly attached to him.

James, who represented the Area Commander, ACP Ifeayin Oporozo, at the event made the statement while highlighting the areas of collaborations that exist for the community to explore with the Police and other security agencies in order to reduce crime to the barest minimum.

Identifying logistics matter as one area of collaboration, he said: “The government is highly challenged in providing all the contingencies the security agents would need. If we begin to wait for the government to provide everything, then this issue of security for everyone would no longer be working.

“You will discover that in the whole of the Area Command, Area ‘M’, the Area Commander as head of the security for this Area has no patrol vehicle of its own. He doesn’t have official vehicle. If Area Commander is to come here today, he is going to come in his own personal vehicle and we are saying if he is called upon that there is crime in a particular area, how does he respond to it swiftly?

“So we are asking for more collaboration from the public. If you have an estate for instance, members of the estate can say let us refurbish a vehicle or buy a vehicle for the Police and that vehicle will be stationed in your estate for the policing of the area. If all of us could do that, I’m very sure that we would have security all over the place. But by waiting for government, I can tell you that we may not get the kind of result that we are expecting”.

James thus stated how the people were expected to get involved by listing what he identified as the areas of collaborations the communities could explore with the Police. He mentioned attitudinal changes on the part of people, prompt supply of useful information and logistic supports as parts of the anticipated actions from the side of communities.

Giving the operational principle of the Police as aiming to be proactive to prevent crime rather than confronting crime that may have done its damage, he said everybody would have to get involved by way of cooperation of the people with the Police. He said it was this campaign the Inspector General of Police had been taking round the country to enlighten the people that the effectiveness of their security could not be limited to the uniform men alone.   

He said: “The IG, who is the Head of Nigeria Police Force, is moving around to solicit the cooperation of everybody. Everybody must accept and take it as a responsibility that security is not just for the uniform per se… What is most needed now in our security arrangement in this country is pro-activeness: we want to be more proactive than reactive. And because we want to be proactive, we want everybody to get involved”.

He said: “You get involved in the areas of first of all yourself; changing your own attitudes. There is a programme of government that says ‘Change Begins with Me’. So if in your own area, you allow this change to begin with you, you will realise that one problem has been solved.

“We have been talking about blocking of High Ways –vehicles standing on the main road, picking passengers; people throwing refuse into drainages. If we change our attitudes in these directions, I’m sure that aspects would have been solved half-way and the government will come in to perfect whatever is left.

He added that the area of attitudinal change goes a long way to include how much of morals we integrate into our immediate family unit.

He said: “Changing our attitudes involves when you see your child going astray, you as a father, do your own part to change him. In this constituency, we have a lot of children that are roaming about without doing anything and they constitute nuisance to everybody around. You might think you are pampering your own child, but you have forgotten that he constitutes security risk to the community and it will turn round to affect you. What goes around comes around, so it is definitely going to affect you. If we all can take care of our homes very well, I’m very sure that whatever measure the government would take in terms of Policing would just complement that and we would discover that crime will reduce to the barest minimum”.

        James however said in spite of the challenges the Police are facing, they we were not sleeping over it. He said the personnel were duly conscious of it and they were making the best use of the little they had. He added that the area the Police needed the people more was in getting prompt information about suspected movements around us.

He said this includes taking courage to expose the criminal elements amongst us in spite of they being our loved ones: “There is no crime that is committed by animals. Crimes are committed by human beings and these human beings live in the communities with us. They are not ghosts; as a matter of facts, they are our children, brothers, sisters and friends… Prompt reporting will help us. You don’t wait until it happens.

Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo explaining Ruga Project

In making his own contribution, Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo, the Apex Leader of the Alimosho All Progressives Congress (APC) said he took note of the absence of ram sellers on the list of all trade and artisans’ associations invited to the event. He wondered if that was not due to the contempt being widely given to the Federal Government’s Ruga project.

He said: “Were it not the way Ruga was publicized by Federal Government, it would have been embraced by all the 36 states. People felt scared because Ruga is not an English Language, it is a Fulani Language. People now felt, Aah, there is Boko Haram coming to everywhere.

“But what is the meaning of Rug? It is a means by which the Federal Government wants to assist Nigerians whereby the cattle and rearers will not be roaming about. They will be settled in a place where there will be school for the children, hospital will be there and all necessary amenities they will also need for good life”.

                Enilolobo suggested that the name ‘Ruga’ should be changed. “There are techniques for us to get out of this Ruga issue” if Nigerians are expected to get the full benefits of Ruga. “It is unfortunate! How I wish the name should be changed and give it another name”.