Before We Forget!
By Yusuph Olaniyonu
The pressure on governments in our country to document, dramatise, advertise and celebrate their achievements, no matter how modest or little, stems from the tendency of our people to easily and quickly forget the difference which such achievements have brought to their lives. Often, our people shake off the effects of what used to be and live what presently obtains as if the present condition has always been the norm. The difference between the old times and the present situation easily pales into insignificance.
The result is that governments at local, state or federal levels are tempted to spend significant time and resources to put on record what positive difference they have brought to the people. It is the era of what government information organs now call the ‘before and after’. Officials of these organs are constantly reminded, even by members of the public, of the need to ensure that they record what the old structure or situation is and place it side by side the new ones so that people can appreciate what the incumbent government has achieved.
While seeking to satisfy this demand for ‘before and after’, some governments end up spending more money than the cost of a new project to advertise or commission it. Perhaps, this is one of the prices we need to pay as our democracy trudges on into maturity stage.
However, let me also use this medium to demonstrate how easy it is for our people to forget what used to be and live today as if there was never a yesterday. At several fora, the present government in my state led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun is often commended for its achievements in rebuilding the infrastructure, democratizing access to education and returning quality to the sector, making the state an investors’ destination of choice, thereby creating employment opportunities, growing the internally generated revenue and aggressively creating new opportunities in the housing and urban development sector.
However, it usually baffles me how such commentators take for granted the efforts of the government in creating a safe, secure and conducive environment for people to live, do business and recreate. For those who know what obtained in Ogun State, particularly between 2006 and 2011, one of the remarkable achievements of the Amosun administration should be that it returned sanity to the state and ended the era where violence enjoyed official endorsement.
In the pre-Amosun Ogun State, violent crimes directed at people, their property and psyche was the order of the day. Top government officials undisguisedly promoted and sponsored cult groups in higher institutions. People were openly attacked and a culture of silence was imposed on the people.
The official name of the head of government was ‘the Lion’ and many of his key aides claim to be ‘tigers’, making deliberate attempt to spread fear among the people.
During those dark days, hit men were constantly recruited among cult groups on campuses in the state tertiary institutions, security agencies, unofficial security groups and others. It was then easy to buy guns in Ogun state as it was easy to buy cans of coca-cola. Many government officials could produce different brands of guns from their vehicles and they use them to terrorise innocent people at the slightest provocation.
Those who believe I am exaggerating should read the book by a senior official of that government and a close confidant of the then governor.
The author detailed series of violent events staged with official support. The doubting thomases should also check out the views of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, an army General and war veteran while speaking at the State Christmas Carol service held in Abeokuta on December 22, 2013. The former president, while stating that ‘things are getting better in Ogun State’, narrated how he often watched with dismay from his hilltop residence, how dead bodies were daily evacuated from the premises of the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, before the present administration came into office.
Though most of these violent activities were organized for political purposes – to silence the opposition and perpetuate the reigning tendency- they have serious economic implications for the state. The proliferation of guns and the official protection for criminals upped the rate of robbery across the state. It scared many indigenes away from home. The situation was so bad then.
So bad, that banks located in some sections of Ogun State, particularly the eastern and western parts, refused to open to customers. They closed their doors after suffering several robbery attacks. People were forced to come to the state capital for financial transactions. Many of such people ended up being robbed on their way back home.
So, what exactly did the present government do to change the situation? It used a combination of strategic deployment of resources and official change of attitude. The first thing the Amosun government did was to make heavy investment in security apparatus after a comprehensive need assessment made in collaboration with security agencies in the state. This resulted in the purchase of 13 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), over 200 Hilux vans equipped with communication equipment and supply of other necessary security gadgets to the security agencies.
The government secured the posting of more mobile policemen to the state and therefore formed a new anti-crime unit called Op-Mesa. A joint police-military patrol operations team was also created. The anti-crime operation is being specially funded by the state government. The government also launched a Security Trust Fund to create regular source of funding. The fund is headed by Col. Kayode Areh, a former Director General of the State Security Service (SSS).
Again, the government sent a clear signal that there will be no form of patronage for cultists or thugs in the state. So, whoever runs foul of the law will face the consequence of his or her temerity. More importantly, the government deliberately re-orientated the people and created a relaxed
atmosphere across the state. Apart from the governor, deputy governor, speaker and maybe two other people, no other government official has any form of security arrangement around them. Top government officials submit themselves to general security arrangement as is available to other residents and visitors to the state.
Even the Governor drives himself around town and mingles with the ordinary folks as he daily inspects different on-going projects. Neither the Governor nor other officials is allowed to use siren. All these symbolic representations have assured the people that it is a new dawn and the government is people-friendly. Now, the opposition and other critics can freely express their opinions. It is now a contest of ideas and healthy exchange of words, no exchange of gun-shots.
The state-owned media is now open to all political tendencies. The culture of violence and silence is dead. There is now an open, free and orderly society in Ogun Perhaps, before we forget, I should remind commentators on developments in Ogun State that it is not just about physical transformation.
The sub-structure of the on-going Mission to Rebuild our state is the safe environment created by the present government.
Olaniyonu is Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ogun State.
