My administration is committed to fighting banditry – Gov Lawal

In this interview, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State explained what informed his decision to establish a state-owned security outift called Community Protection Guards (CPG) to complement efforts by regular security agencies in the ongoing fight against banditry and other-related crimes in the state.

What informed your decision to form the Community Protection Guards?

As you know, Zamfara State is facing a lot of challenges, one of which is insecurity. The state has been battling with this menace for over a decade; therefore, for any responsible government that is concerned about people, the issue of security is paramount, and that’s what formed the basis of putting that outfit together. Alhamdulilllah, they have gone through rigorous training for the past two and half months.

Finally, they have been commissioned to fight banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other forms of crime in the state.

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The present administration has invested heavily in the security sector and will continue to spend until we end the menace of banditry and other related crimes in the state. No responsible government will joke about the issue of security.

The 2,645 personnel that were commissioned are the first batch. It is an ongoing thing, but all in all, we are looking at not less than 5,000 personnel. They will be measured to see how far they can go and the challenges they are facing and how they can be addressed? So, if there is need for additional personnel, we will employ more because security, like I said, is paramoun,t without which we cannot do anything in the state and even the country in general.

The present government has provided all the needed support to the CPG personnel, right from recruitment, training, and now, operation just to make their job easy.

The government has purchased state-of-the-art equipment, including communication gadgets, patrol vehicles and motorbikes, among other facilities that will make tasks easy. Again, they have been given monthly allowances, right from the beginning of their training. And this will continue. And because of the nature of their job, government is also planning to enlist CPG personnel in its life insurance programme. We are doing all these to make their job easy and make them productive in discharging their duties.

Fighting insecurity requires a multi-dimensional approach, what next after the commissioning of the CPG?

Absolutely, fighting insecurity requires a multi-dimensional approach. You have to understand the nature of the crisis you are facing. You have to also understand the terrain you are fighting. And you have to understand the reasons we are having this banditry etc.

This special group is going to complement the efforts of the regular security operatives in the country, such as the police, army, DSS, civil defence and the rest of them in fighting banditry. Our move is a combination of so many things, but the main idea is to fight banditry and other crimes in the state.

It is because of the multidimensional nature of fighting insecurity that I declared a state of emergency in two vital sectors of education and health. As you know, to succeed in the fight against banditry you must also come up with sound policies and programmes that will improve the wellbeing of the people because this will also help in reducing crimes among the citizenry.

If you look at the statistics today and the position of Zamfara State in the education sector, we are at the bottom, and when you go to health care delivery, we are also at the bottom. And these are the two critical sectors outside security that every responsible government should be able to confront without any compromise. That is why I declared a state of emergency in education two months ago and the health sector two days ago, based on what I saw in Gusau, which is the capital. I visited a hospital and saw the condition of the facility and the personnel and I wasn’t happy; therefore, the right thing to do is to declare a state of emergency. That is exactly what I did.

I want to confidently tell you that in the next six months, by God’s grace, changes will begin to manifest in these three sectors – security, health and education – in Zamfara State. Beside these three sectors, construction of roads within the state capital has reached an advanced stage. We started this project immediately after we assumed office, and despite the hurdles of litigation, we did not stop the project. Alhamdulillah, there is no more litigation on our neck; therefore, the people of Zamfara should expect more projects from this administration. They have voted us into office to work for them and we are going to deliver. By Allah’s grace, will not let them down.

Synergy is one of the major problems affecting our security agencies, how do you intend to ensure synergy between CGP personnel and regular security agencies?

There is going to be constant engagement. Right now, there is synergy between CPG personnel and other security agencies. We will continue to engage and where we have differences and so on, we will discuss them so that we can move forward. It is a continuous thing, therefore, engagement will also continue. And I believe we will not have issues with any security agency.

As I said earlier, all the regular security agencies were fully involved in the processes of establishing the CPG, right from the recruitment of the personnel and training. So, you can see that they are all part and parcel of the CPG; therefore, I don’t think the CPG would have a problem with any federal security agency.

It is easy to establish an outfit like the CPG, the major challenge is sustaining it. What assurance would you give to the people of Zamfara that the CPG has come to stay?

Well, first and foremost, there is political will on our part. In everything we do, it is the will that matters; therefore, I am confirming to you that we have the political will to sustain the CPG.

Security is paramount, therefore, there is no compromise. We are fully committed to this task, and God’s willing, we will achieve our objectives.

Again, the CPG is backed by legislation. We first took the matter to the State House of Assembly who formulated a law for the establishment of the CPG. Also, during the recruitment of the personnel, we involved traditional institutions, right from the ward heads, village heads, district heads and the emirs. We have also included all the regular security agencies in the processes of recruitment and training of the personnel of the Community Protection Guards.

All the concerned stakeholders are fully involved in the processes of establishing the CPG. I, therefore, have the belief that by the time the CPG personnel start their work, everybody will enjoy it. And no stakeholder will want to see them failing in the discharge of their duties.

All the northern governors attended the commissioning of the CPG, what makes the ceremony special?

Their attendance was beyond solidarity. You can see that Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina governors were at the occasion while the governor of Kaduna State was represented by his deputy, which shows seriousness and commitment on our part as leaders.

We have had a series of meetings among ourselves and discussed major challenges facing northern Nigeria, especially the North West. And this is happening irrespective of our political party differences. Like we always say, politics is over, it is now about the government and we are all concerned about our people, we are concerned about the condition of northern Nigeria; therefore, as responsible leaders there is a need to do something urgent to address our problems. That is why you saw the commitment in all of us.

All the governors abandoned their schedules in their respective states and came to Zamfara State to show commitment and concern. This is what we are looking for, and I thanked God that we have that common understanding. Luckily, we are all first timers; therefore, the zeal is there and the commitment is also there, not just in the area of security, even in the area of economic development and growth.

Recently, we were all in Abidjan to discuss common issues that concern northern Nigeria, especially agriculture. Very soon, we will also be going to America on the same issue. This is what we are looking for and everybody is committed to it.

What message do you have for CPG personnel and people of Zamfara State?

They should remain committed. They have taken an oath that they would discharge their duties without fear or favour and they are ready to commit their lives to protect the lives and property of people of Zamfara State, and I believe in them. They have all sworn by the Holy Qur’an that they will do it to the best of their ability, and I believe they will do it, knowing the importance of swearing by the Holy Qur’an.

I am appealing for the continued support, understanding and cooperation of the people of Zamfara State to this security outfit because the issue of security is a collective responsibility. It is not just about the security outfit, it is also about the people. I am appealing to the residents of the state to give the CPG maximum support and cooperation, as well as be prayerful so that together we can achieve the desired objectives. When we pray, Allah will always answer.