By Oladele Ogunsola, Ibadan
Oyo State chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has called on members of the state House of Assembly (OYHA) to immediately kick start the process of repealing the obnoxious law upon which the decision for the security levies recently introduced by the state governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi was allegedly premised.
SPN governorship candidate in the state, Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye queried the decision of Sen. Ajimobi’s All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to impose what was reportedly called security levies on the poor traders and small business owners in the state.
He insisted that the imposition of security levies on the people under the pretence of “generating fund to assist security agencies in their bid to maintain a crime free state” is unconstitutional.
The gubernatorial candidate in a statement made available to the media by Mr. Isaac Ogunjinmi, Head of Media Committee maintained that the introduction of the security levies as claimed by the Governor himself “is unconstitutional as it amounts to transferring the burden of funding of security agencies on the poor citizens of this state.
“This will not only compound the economic hardship under which the working people in the state groan but also at variance with the Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution as amended which stipulates among other things that the security of life and properties of every Nigerian regardless of ethnic and religious affiliation must be the fundamental responsibility of the Nigeria government at all levels”, he added.
He lamented that security situation in the state today despite all of the media propaganda by the APC-led government is not an enviable one, stating that security agencies like social services like education, health suffer from what can best be described as chronic underfunding.
He further argued that to be blamed for this unfortunately state of underfunding which has greatly undermined the effectiveness and performances of the security agents and agencies are the corruption, undue wastages of public fund and lack of financial accountability among members of political class presiding over the Nigeria government at all levels.
According to the SPN gubernatorial candidate, “the security agents in the state would have been more effective and efficient if the huge proportion of the yearly budget often voted on security by the Federal Government (FG) and the huge sum of fund Governors often set aside for themselves as security votes have been used judiciously over time to improve on both the working and living condition of the security agents.
“Unfortunately, the exact amount and expenditure of the security votes running to millions of dollars on monthly basis are not bound by any law to be disclosed. The helplessness of the security agencies in the face of the growing security challenges in the state as well as the poverty of their rank and file security personnel, only serve to indicate that the so-called security votes are routinely pocketed by Sen. Abiola-Ajimobi-led government”, he added.
Rather than imposing another form of hardship on the hapless citizens under the guise of seeking fund for security purpose, the opposition party candidate charged legislators in the state House of Assembly to enact a law that would support the conversion of the funds that goes to the Governor under the pretence of security votes to a security fund to assist the security agencies at the state level.
He was also of the view that such a fund must be subjected to the democratic control and management of the elected representatives of working people to ensure its adequate accountability while insisting that the security levies is unconstitutional and it will deepen the economic woe of the poor people.
Bamigboye equally solicited for concerted efforts from all the well-meaning people in the state, including the labour organisation, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to prevail on Ajimobi-led government to rescind the decision to impose the security levies.
