… Nigeria needs 554,353 more police personnel — Abiodun

… Akeredolu was a courageous voice for S’West — Sanwo-Olu, Fayemi

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has declared that the ideas spearheaded by the late former Governor of the state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, particularly his advocacy for State Police and a new security architecture, have continued to shape Nigeria’s national policy and constitutional discourse.

Aiyedatiwa stated this on Thursday at a colloquium held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to commemorate Akeredolu’s 70th posthumous birthday.

The event, themed “Fundamentals and Governance of State Policing: Towards a New Architecture for National Security in Nigeria,” brought together governors, policymakers, security experts, and members of the legal community.

According to the governor, Akeredolu’s advocacy for a restructured security system had moved from being a regional agitation to occupying a central position in Nigeria’s national policy and constitutional conversation.

Aiyedatiwa noted that the colloquium offered an opportunity to honor a legacy that continues to inspire both Ondo State and the entire country.

Describing the late governor, whom he fondly called “My Oga,” as a selfless public servant, Aiyedatiwa said great men are measured not only by the length of their lives but also by the courage with which they pursue their convictions, the consequences of their choices, and the enduring value of the causes they serve.

According to him, Akeredolu combined intellectual rigor, legal scholarship, courage, and commitment to justice, while his advocacy for true federalism was neither rhetorical nor cosmetic.

He recalled that when insecurity tested Nigerians’ confidence, Akeredolu and other South-West governors did not complain about the shortcomings of the existing security structure but established the South-West Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun Corps.

The initiative, he said, demonstrated the principle that those closest to the people should have a meaningful role in protecting them.

He disclosed that the Ondo State Amotekun recently demonstrated the importance of the initiative when it joined the Department of State Services, the Army, and other security agencies in confronting terrorists identified as ISWAP operatives in the state’s forests.

According to him, the group initially emerged from the farmer-herder challenge before developing into a terrorist organization that terrorized people in farmsteads but had now been dislodged from Ondo State.

The governor stressed that the proposed framework must go beyond the creation of state police to addressing the conditions necessary to make the institution worthy of public trust, including credible recruitment and vetting.

He said the most fitting memorial to Akeredolu would not be monuments, ceremonies, and tributes but a Nigeria that is safer, more federal, more just, and more responsive to its citizens.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun said Nigeria requires 554,353 additional police personnel to meet the United Nations-recommended police-to-citizen ratio, calling for comprehensive reforms to make State Police effective and sustainable.

He said the gathering should go beyond mourning and celebration to addressing the reforms required to strengthen security and governance.

According to him, Akeredolu’s vision went beyond security hardware, as he understood the relationship between security and economic development and laid the groundwork for the South-West Development Commission.

“A secure region is a prosperous region,” Abiodun said, adding that Amotekun demonstrated the value of community intelligence and rapid response and had helped make the South-West one of the safest regions. Abiodun, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Committee on State Police, said, “The seeds Aketi sowed have matured into a national consensus.”

Former Ekiti State Governor and former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, described Akeredolu as an irreplaceable defender of the defenseless and a courageous voice who consistently spoke truth to power.

He said Akeredolu was a “man of many parts,” able to relate with both the elite and ordinary people while combining seriousness with a playful personality.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the late Ondo State Governor as a steadfast and courageous voice for the interests, dignity, and security of the South-West.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Lagos State Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Salu Hundeyin, said Akeredolu regarded leadership as responsibility rather than privilege and demonstrated conviction and courage in confronting challenges affecting his people.

“Aketi may no longer be with us, but his example remains. His voice may have fallen, but the cause for which he stood continues to speak,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Also speaking, Ekiti State Gover nor Biodun Oyebanji said Akeredolu was a courageous leader whose determination in confronting insecurity contributed significantly to the establishment of the Amotekun security network.

Represented by the Secretary to the Ekiti State Government, Prof. Habibat Omolara Adubiaro, he said Akeredolu stood with other South-West governors, irrespective of political parties, against insecurity and Federal Government opposition.

He urged South-West governors to deepen regional integration and challenged the South-West Development Commission to undertake ambitious projects capable of transforming the region rather than limiting interventions to token projects.

The Director-General of the DAWN Commission, Dr. Seye Oyeleye, said the late Akeredolu championed decentralized policing, stressing that Nigeria could no longer rely on a single police force controlled from Abuja.

Oyeleye said the system is inadequate for Nigeria’s population, noting that Amotekun has demonstrated that state and regional policing could work.

Akeredolu’s first son, Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu Jr., described his father as a courageous advocate of justice, human rights, political freedom, and accountable government, recalling his student activism, legal career, June 12 struggle, 2012 fuel-price protest, and fight against insecurity.