Forum Highlights How To Foster Government Agencies and Citizens Relationship To Combat Insecurity

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) in partnership with Trust Africa, on Thursday, 19^th August, 2021 held a one-day Citizen’s Forum on Strengthening Pan-African Citizen’s Voices for Security Sector Accountability (SPaCVOSSA) at Dover Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State.

Giving the overview of the project, the Director of Strategy, African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Mr. Itia C. Otabor said that in order to put things in perspective and reassure citizens, his organization with support from TrustAfrica initiated the project to strengthening Pan-African Citizens Voices for Security Sector Accountability by providing platform for interaction amongst stakeholders on the impact of Covid-19 and its security regime on citizens. Research into the impact of security measures and collaborate with the National Assembly to come up with a bill on security regulations during pandemic. He noted that similar project would be carried out in four (4) countries in four (4) Regional Economic Communities – Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya and DRC respectively.

In his keynote address, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Lagos Directorate, Mr. Waheed Ishola who spoke on the “Role of Government Agencies in Fostering Citizens Engagement and Building Harmonious Relationship with the Security Agencies during National Health Emergencies” said that the relationship between the security agencies and the citizens is a necessary tool not only in the sense of the symbiosis of responsibilities, but also in the belief that such engagement and harmonious relationship remain the only avenue by which the wellbeing of the citizens can be guaranteed. It is through such cordial relationship that the nation’s security network system can play their expected roles in the areas of intelligence gathering and tracking of criminals and criminalities and bringing to justice those found on the other side of the law. The Director noted that for security agencies to live up to their mandates of effective security of lives and properties as well as management of disasters generally, there must be a level of cooperation and assistance between the citizens and the security agencies. The use of available veritable platforms of engagement must continue to be nurtured and maintained, while relevant agencies of the government like NOA must not be undermined in playing their roles to ensure that the cords of mutual engagement between the citizens and the security agencies remain unbroken and intact. With reference to the provisions of National Ethics Codes as stipulated in Chapter 2, Section 23 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended), that is, Discipline, integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Tolerance, Self-Reliance and Patriotism, he urged both citizens and security agencies to imbibe the ethics so that the recorded torture, in-humane and degrading treatment and extortion experienced would be a thing of the past.

He commended the organizers and appealed that the Agency is ever ready to play its role in the tasks of building and enhancing robust citizen’s engagement towards ensuring a crime and disaster-FREE Nigerian society.

Earlier in his goodwill message, the Executive Director/Founder, African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, Amb. Chris Ibe said that while the global community was battling to address and provide solution by way of eradicating the pandemic caused by the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) through the Lockdown approach, the situation in Nigeria was hellish, as most Nigerian law enforcement agencies took advantage of the situation to extort and punish innocent Nigerians. He commended the forum for coming at the right time to create huge opportunity for citizens to interact, share ideas and experiences within the period under review between Citizens and security agencies.

Speaking on behalf of Lagos State Commissioner for Health, the Chief Executive Officer, Human Resources, Mr. Tiamiyu Razzaq Oluwatoyin said that only the living has right and no right is absolute, rights are qualified and must not trample on others. However, much had been learnt and that the state Government had drawn up template to checkmate future emergencies and proper training for its security agencies.

On his part, the representative of Lagos State Commissioner of Police, ACP Operations, ACP Odubona O. Oludotun and ASC1 Oluwaseun Abolurin, PRO Officer, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command both agreed that mistakes were made and that the agencies are ready and willing to learn new ways and strategies of doing things and managing future emergencies.

Other speakers at the event all suggested that training must go towards building trust of citizens in the society. The people, they agreed must have trust of the government as leadership is a great challenge to governance.

In attendance were members of the civil society organisations and Non-governmental organisations, civil servants, members of the Nigerian Police, NSCDC, the media amongst others.