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Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has signed into law the Oyo State Security Network Agency Bill 2020, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, with a strong warning to criminal elements to steer clear of the state and southwest Region or face the corresponding consequences of their negative actions.
Besides, he cautioned the opposition parties in the state, including All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop campaign of calumny against his administration, stressing the Peoples Democratic Party-led government has a well cut out programmes and policies for good governance in the state.
Makinde assented to the bill on Tuesday at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Ibadan, barely eight days after the bill was passed into law by the Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday March 3, this year. The public hearing on the bill was held on February 24, 2020.
The brief ceremony was witnessed by the deputy governor, Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan; Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubanwo Adeosun; Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka; Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Oyelowo Oyewo; and other top government functionaries.
The Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Adebo Ogundoyin, led other members of the Ninth Assembly to the signing of the bill, including the deputy speaker, Mr. Abiodun Fadeyi.
Speaking on the occasion, Makinde, who described the new law as a child of necessity and an outcome of engagements, negotiations and alignments among governors in the six states of the South West region, with the aim of protecting lives and property of their citizens, adding that the Amotekun Corps would only complement the efforts of conventional security agencies and would not replace them.
He noted that the conventional security agencies in the country have been stretched to the limit, and that challenges being posed by insurgency in the North East of the nation have culminated in a situation whereby a number of the conventional personnel have been deployed to the theatre of war against the insurgents, and also other social vices.
Makinde stated that the Amotekun Corps would fish out the criminal elements that refused to steer clear of the state and the South West, adding that the process for the establishment of Amotekun security outfit started in July 2019 and climaxed on January 9, this year, when the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), was launched by the South West governors, in Ibadan.
He also invited investors that they should come to Oyo State for businesses, and he assured them that the state is save and secured for businesses, saying: “History has been made because Amotekun law is in force in Oyo State. It has been a long and tortious journey. It started as far as July last year. In reality, things don’t happen overnight. You have to plan, engage, seek alignment and execute. This is exactly what has happened here.
“The governors of South West geopolitical zone went and met with the stakeholders. We have to secure our people. This is not a replacement for the existing traditional security agencies. We have to secure our people; it is to complement the efforts of federal security agencies. We need to create a safe and sane environment at the state and local government levels.
“We are providing a safe and secure environment. So, investors should come. We guarantee decent returns on their investments. Amotekun has come to stay. You don’t have to be afraid if you are not criminally-minded. Join hands with us to have a secure environment. It is time to tell the criminally-minded ones to please stay away from Oyo and stay away from South West, because if you don’t. Amotekun will get you.”
Makinde, specifically told the opposition parties in the state: “I have heard everywhere these past couple of weeks where the government is being attacked right, left and centre saying that we came into government without a manifesto. I was wondering if these people live in Oyo State because we came in with a proposal to the people of Oyo State. We promised them accelerated development; we produced a document, which is 102 pages.
“The document still exists and we are following through on those ideas that we espoused in that document. But they want people to believe that we don’t have a clue. We don’t have to join issues with them. I am an engineer, if you see an engineer digging the ground, they already have the concept of what will come out of there.
“As a matter of fact, what is coming through already exists in the minds of certain people and on paper. They took Oyo State through quick fixes in eight years and that is why within nine months, all the roads, infrastructure they claimed to have done have all fallen apart. So, we are carefully doing the job and when we deliver to the people of Oyo State, these are projects that will outlast this administration. I urge them to desist.”
