Dare Babalola
A member of the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, has urged that Nigerians who desire additional security personnel should not be denied access to such protection, arguing that the privilege shouldn’t be exclusive to government officials. The lawmaker representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency made this statement on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.
“Every single Nigerian is a VIP,” Jimbo said, emphasizing that citizens wanting security escorts or guards for homes, travel, or events should be able to obtain them. He cited the Constitution, noting that Section 14(2)(b) places welfare and security at the core of governance, while Sections 214 and 217 establish the police and armed forces to operationalize this mandate.
Jimbo argued that where government resources are insufficient, the President can engage private security structures to support citizens willing to pay for protection, especially during festive periods when many travel with valuables.
With rising unemployment, he proposed recruiting 15,000 personnel into a special security pool, on a ₦150,000 monthly salary, generating over ₦2.2 billion monthly for police retraining, welfare, and reforms.
“What gave rise to the withdrawal of some of these security personnel from some of us?
“It wasn’t because the country was totally safe, it is actually because of insecurity, and now you’ve withdrawn these people, and there is no immediate replacement,” he said.
Jimbo urged the President to send an executive bill to the National Assembly to formalize the process, stressing no additional appropriation would be needed.
“Nigerians who want additional security attached to them should not be denied that responsibility,” he concluded.
His comments follow President Bola Tinubu’s order to withdraw police officers from prominent individuals and redeploy them to insecure areas, directing the Interior Minister to replace them with NSCDC officers.
“The Minister for Interior should liaise with the IGP and the civil defence structure to replace those police officers… NSA and DSS to review the structure,” Tinubu said, prioritising volatile areas’ security.
