Given the observed lapses, the recalibration of the security
architecture of the National Assembly assumes even greater urgency.
Without prejudice to the importance of security to law,
order, stability and the overall wellbeing of the Nigerian state especially in
a convoluted society battling a deadly insurgency, the bitter truth is that,
the National Assembly of today is manifesting all the symptoms of a police
state.
It is indeed an absurdity that this famed "peoples
parliament" as this critical and independent branch of government is often
called, is today on the chokehold of an overbearing, fully armed gun-totting
policemen. At the last count, the National Assembly is secured by over 400
police officers, an unspecified number of officers of the Civil Defense Corps,
smattering of soldiers and of course the internal security of the National
Assembly controlled and marshalled by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
In a nation with a police-to citizen ratio of 1400, this is
telling. Perhaps, apart from Fort Knox, Kentucky in the United States, which
houses America's gold bars and other national treasures, no other national
institution is as protected as the National Assembly.
A first time visitor to the National Assembly will be
shocked and startled by the invidious presence of regular policemen fanning out
within the precincts of this hallowed institution. This is without prejudice to
other police officers and other security personnel procured by senators and
House members as orderlies and body guards. In the visual dimension, the visitor
is confronted by the frightening specter of an over policed environment which
is suffocating.
When French political philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu
espoused the theory of the separation of powers in The Spirit of the Laws
(1748), he argued that powers be separated so that no one could usurp complete
power. He argued that if legislative and executive powers reside in one man,
there can be no liberty.
By inference, for the National Assembly to function
unencumbered, every step should be taken to protect its treasured independence.
Security should be deployed in such a smart way that it should not create a
siege mentality and impinge on its effectiveness in discharging its core
mandate of legislation, oversight and representation.
The impression which is inexorably being created in the
psyche of our lawmakers by the overbearing presence of security personnel may
not be fully assessed within the space of this write up, but the point to be
made is that, there are more effective and smarter ways of deploying security without
damaging the reputation of the National Assembly as the people's Parliament or
inhibiting the capacity of lawmakers to function under as the representatives
of the people.
The word security comes from Latin lexicon, se and cura
which means "Free from care or anxiety". The United Nations defines
security as," freedom from fear, freedom from want and freedom to live in
dignity". Governments have always been too willing to control society by
force of arms. This impulse which many people see as understandable and
necessary to the survival of the society, has in many instances, been
counter-productive.
A heavily policed National Assembly does not necessarily
translate to better security. The security as presently constituted is
amorphous, disjointed and constitutes a nightmare in terms of coordination.
Ordinarily, the security of the National Assembly should be under the
leadership of the Sergeant-at-Arms but in reality, the police appear to be
under the authority and control of their own internal command and control
structure.
As a matter of fact, while defence and security budgets have
ballooned over the years, the reality is that the world has become a more
dangerous place. For instance, the military interventions in Libya, Iraq and
Afghanistan did not make these nations safer; it has plunged them into
instability and chaos.
In the National Assembly, being strangulated by the security
Armada, the overbearing security presence did not deter the invasion of the
hallowed Chambers of the Senate by hoodlums who caused pandemonium and made
away with the maze in 2018. In spite of this heavy police presence, offices of
some lawmakers have been burgled and cars of some workers vandalised.
The world is becoming increasingly sophisticated in
security, crime detection and prevention. Rather than choke the National
Assembly with too many police personnel in the attempt to protect lawmakers and
employees from harm and keep away intruders, the management should evolve
smarter security strategies which will achieve the same security objective yet
make National Assembly a friendly humane institution.
Such strategies should include, building security, which
will deal with measures to render the building inaccessible to intruders. Apart
from physical measures, smart technology should be deployed.
It also involves boundary security, which defines the
avenues to control access to the National Assembly and the various measures put
in place to protect the intellectual property.
The deployment of smart technologies such as CCTTV cameras
and alarms with signs that the National Assembly is secure and being monitored
is a deterrence to intruders with criminal intent.
Given the observed lapses, the recalibration of the security
architecture of the National Assembly assumes even greater urgency.
And the time to do it is now.
Yemi Itodo is Chairman, National Assembly New Media Forum,
and can be reached via itodoyemi@gmail.com
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