According to the Kaduna State 2021 Quarter 1 Budget Implementation Report, about N321,505,831 for Overheads and N295,533,211 for Capital Expenditure – making it a total of N617,039,042 – have been spent by the Ministry of Internal Security & Home Affairs from January to March.
Looking at this trend, same amount will likely be spent in the just concluded Quarter 2, taking it close or over a billion naira spent in six months.
With the rising banditry, kidnapping and general insecurity, can we really say there is value for the money being spent on security? It is evident that the economy of the state is gradually being crippled to a halt.
As a result of insecurity in state, many farmers cannot go to farm, transporters of people, goods and services are afraid of plying their regular routes, small businesses are badly affected by the urban renewal projects with many of them closing shop, medium to large scale businesses are sacking workers due to losses in profit, schools are losing pupils/students while their staff are at home without any means of income.
This is coming at a time when inflation is about 18%, while food inflation is over 22% and the value of the naira is fast depreciating. Not to forget the high cost of petroleum and electricity, and it’s implication on household income and cost of production for businesses.
The number of poor and vulnerable households keep rising, now that many families have to sell off their assets and borrow huge sums to pay ransoms to free loved one from the rampaging kidnappers.
All of this negates the primary purpose of government, which is the security and welfare of the people. Both the Federal and state government are overwhelmed, and seem helpless; while the residents are becoming hopeless and depressed in fear.
The audacity and ease with which the bandits operate shows they have formed a country within a country. The reactionary approach of government to curtailing the insecurity seems to be the major problem.
We need to see more proactive and preventive measures in curbing the rising insecurity. As it is said the best form of defence is attack. This will justify the huge investment in the Command and Control Centre of the Kaduna State Aerial Surveillance and Monitoring System, costing the state 1.24 billion naira and commissioned in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also, many will recall that the Kaduna State Government had earmarked over N2.55 billion to procure CCTV cameras and drones, to provide adequate security cover in the state in 2017.
Granted the Federal government has total control of the armed forces; however, the fact is that the President and the governor of Kaduna state are from the same party. So it should be easy to get the needed support in combating banditry and kidnapping, as long as there is the political will. We wait to see how the government will uphold Section 14, subsection 2,b of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Goje, a civil society activist, writes from Kaduna
