The Conference of Speakers of South West State Legislatures says security issues remain an ultimate determinant factor for societal development, hence it has unanimously thrown its full weight behind the take-off of the South West Security Network (Operation Amotekun).
The Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Oleyelogun Bamidele, stated this while presenting the communique at the security summit of the Conference of the Speakers themed: “The Imperative of Western Nigeria Security Network (Operation Amotekun): Legislative support for the Initiative” held in Ibadan, explaining that it would go a long way in curbing the worrisome security problem facing the region.
Oleyelogun expressed that the newly launched regional security network sought to complement and not to compete with all the security outfits in the South West in tandem with the spirit of the Constitution which made the protection of lives a matter of priority for any responsible government.
The Communique partly reads, “after exhaustive deliberation, the conference resolved that operation Amotekun is a welcome development, especially in the spirit of existing community policing laws in the South Western States. That Operation Amotekun is similar to already existing security outfits such as Hisbah and Joint Task Force in the Northern part of the country which had been in operation several years ago”
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Oleyelogun commended the South West Governors for their respective proactive strategies deployed at combacting security challenges, with a task to his colleague-lawmakers in other State Houses of Assembly to complement the efforts of the executive arm through legislations that would give legal backing to the security arrangements.
Also, the Chairman stated that the quest for financial autonomy by the State legislative arm in the nation was not a contest of power nor struggle for political space with other arms of government, rather it was aimed at deepening democratic practices, as it would give meaning to the concept of separation of powers as defined by the Constitution.
He added that the autonomy would make the legislature well functional, informed and independent resulting in infrastructural development for the creation of conducive environment for legislative work.
In his separate remarks shortly after the conference, the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Olakunle Oluomo said Ogun State had already taken the lead in support of the security arrangement through the passage of the State Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps Agency Law, 2017 (SO SAFE CORPS) during the 8th Assembly, which was signed into law, in December, 2017.
He added that environmental and cultural diversity of the nation required community policing, which would assist the nation’s established security agencies through intelligence gathering to further enhance security network in the society.
The Conference also had in attendance Speakers of the Houses of Assembly from the region including Lagos, who is also the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers in Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Ekiti, Rt. Hon Niyi Afuye, Oyo, Rt. Hon Adebo Ogundoyin and Osun State, Rt Hon. Timothy Owoeye
