Don Urges Political Leaders to Abandon Partisan Politics in Security Decisions
Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti, now Ekiti State University (EKSU), Professor Dipo Kolawole, has urged political leaders to abandon partisan politics in security decisions and embrace reforms capable of addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Kolawole noted that partisan politics is one of the major challenges hindering the success of security decisions, urging the political leaders to close ranks and work in synergy for the betterment of the country.
How Partisan Politics Affect Security
He said security challenges in the country have continued to grow because political leaders treat security matters as a tool for political advantage instead of a national responsibility.
The Don warned that as long as political leaders engage politics in security decisions, no reform will work, no matter how good it looks on paper.
He made the recommendations in Ado-Ekiti while delivering a lecture titled, “The Paradox of Nationhood: The Struggle for Reinventing Nigeria’s Security Architecture,” at the second edition of the Joel Babatola Annual Lecture organised by the Board of Trustees of the Ekiti Council of Elders.
According to him, partisan politics has made it difficult for law enforcement agencies to work together, share intelligence and take bold security decisions when it matters most.
Apart from partisan politics, the Don also called on the Federal Government to overhaul the country’s security architecture, warning that corruption, political interference, elite collaboration and institutional rivalry were undermining efforts to combat insecurity.
The political scientist equally advocated the development of a national strategic defence doctrine, the establishment of a National Security Policy Development Team and increased recruitment into the armed forces, police and other security agencies as measures to restore peace and strengthen national cohesion.
Kolawole argued that Nigeria’s persistent security challenges were not merely the consequence of inadequate military capacity but also reflected deeper structural problems associated with leadership failures, weak accountability, poverty, corruption and the country’s incomplete journey towards nationhood.
According to him, the security crisis had become a national challenge requiring a coordinated response beyond the conventional deployment of military and police personnel.
He maintained that the prevailing security arrangement, under which the Armed Forces, intelligence services, police and other security institutions operate largely in separate structures, had weakened intelligence sharing, coordination and operational effectiveness.
The don said Nigeria needed an integrated security system capable of harmonising the activities of security agencies, improving threat assessment and eliminating rivalry among institutions responsible for protecting the country.
Emphasising the need for political neutrality in security policymaking, Kolawole said the proposed National Security Policy Development Team must be composed of competent professionals rather than political loyalists.
He said, “Nigeria needs something more to integrate the various components to function as one. Nigeria needs to immediately develop an overarching strategic doctrine.
“It must be a think-tank made up of the best and brightest security policy talents. It must be a non-political assemblage drawing membership strictly from technical areas of competence.
“It must be understood that security matters are not about or should not be about partisan political issues.
“Finally, we must reinvent, restructure and reenergise the security architecture of the Nigerian State in order to insure and assure the security of its citizenry. This must be done quickly, meaningfully and effectively”.
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The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, commended the Ekiti Council of Elders for sustaining the legacy of late Joel Babatola, whom he described as one of the foremost personalities who sacrificed for the growth and development of the state.
Oyebanji said investments in security by his administration had yielded remarkable results, citing Ekiti’s ranking as Nigeria’s safest state in the SBM Intelligence security report for the second quarter of 2025.
The Governor, represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Professor Azeez Akeem, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had demonstrated commitment to Ekiti’s security through various interventions, including the construction of a 900-unit Army barracks in Ikere-Ekiti, which he said was 95 per cent completed within three years.
He assured residents that his administration would continue to provide the necessary security infrastructure, while urging communities to sustain timely intelligence gathering and vigilance to complement government efforts.
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Earlier, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ekiti Council of Elders, Olufemi Adewumi, said Nigeria’s security challenges and fragile national unity, fuelled by mutual distrust, religious differences and ethnic divisions, had made responsible leadership more urgent.
Adewumi said the council, comprising individuals of high integrity and unblemished patriotism, was committed to defending national unity and rescuing the country from its present challenges in honour of the sacrifices of past heroes, including Chief Joel Eyinafe Babatola, a revered national figure of Ekiti extraction.
He explained that the annual lecture was designed to inspire contemporary leaders to draw lessons from Babatola’s exemplary life of selfless service, honesty, forthrightness and responsible leadership, noting that his legacy remained a compelling model for rebuilding public confidence and strengthening democratic institutions.
