Professionalism: The only key to the problems of Oyo State Amotekun Corps -By Segun Adebowale

That the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps management don’t know or understand the components of professionalism requesting for in the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps would be a mere erroneous assertion. The Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps management know the professional practice expecting and ought to have established since year 2020 but they are only being callous, selfish and insensitive to yearning and persistent request for professional practice in the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps administration since its commencement of operations. This is because all of the management team are getting all benefits as Oyo state civil servants, but the Oyo State Amotekun operatives are only being paid monthly as ad-hoc staff, and this is not the plans of Engineer Seyi Makinde for the Amotekun operatives, because he promised them better welfares and package to boost the morale of the operatives.

Recruiting over two thousand Oyo State Amotekun operatives and prompt payment of salary by Engineer Seyi Makinde is highly commendable and is a good sign that Oyo State government is ever ready to meet one of the objectives of establishing Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps. But it is unprofessional on the part of the Oyo State Amotekun board of governance and the management team of the Agency to place all the Amotekun operatives on the same salary grade level.

One of the components of professionalism is planning, the management of the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps failed to plan grade level or rank structure that will place each Amotekun operatives in appropriate salary level.

The appointed coordinators, admin officers of local government and Amotekun operative working tirelessly at the Amotekun headquarters are being paid the same salary with other Amotekun operatives they are coordinating and this make the operatives under them not to respect and obey the order of the LG coordinators. Apart from the fact that most of these coordinators cannot communicate effectively when it comes to formal gathering, there is no even clear distinction, in terms of rank/grade between the coordinators, admin officers and other operatives of less qualifications.

It is also an unprofessional practice for the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps to assign duty of driving operation vehicles to the graduates (Phd, B.sc, M.ed, HND, NCE). In addition to traumatic experience of the educated Oyo State Amotekun, some of them are serving as driver to LG Amotekun coordinator who is either school drop-out or stake illiterate. The Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps administrators unprofessionally decided not to recruit Amotekun operatives whose duty shall be to drive operatin vehicles. The patrol vehicles are just being driving by any Amotekun operatives; this could be part of reasons why there are more accident vehicles within three years of operation. Absence of professional practice result into absence of professional drivers in the Agency. Once you can move a car, you are qualified to be Oyo state Amotekun’s driver.

Monitoring is also essential components of professional practice. As it has professionally written in sections 4 (iii), and 17 (2) of the Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020, nobody is monitoring the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities of the Oyo State Amotekun operatives in the Corps headquarters and the 33 local government for the past three years. Since there are no documents given to the Oyo State Amotekun operatives at local government, operation base (Dandaru) and Corps hq to operate with, there is absolutely nothing to monitor by the management of the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps. The management of Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps are not monitor by and accountable to the Oyo State government. Therefore, the Oyo State Amotekun operatives are not also monitor by and accountable to the Oyo State Amoteku management.

As it also being professionally mapped out in Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020 in section 22 that there shall be investigation unit in the Agency whose functions according to the law 2020 is to investigate and internally supervise the works and activities of the Agency to ensure probity and accountability, reading through the rest responsibilities of investigation unit of the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps, one would conclude that the Oyo State Security Network Agency law was gathered by experienced and visionary law makers but the professional touch of this law was removed by unprofessional practice of Col. Olayinka Olayanju administration as the pioneer Oyo State Amotekun Corps commandant all because of selfish and wicked ambition.

The beautiful components of professional practice was also ignored in section 39 of the Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020 by the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps administrators who paddled the canoe of the Agency since year 2020 till date. The Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020 professionally allows the Amotekun Board of governance to independently form a professional regulations to carry out the activities of the Agency, and up till date nothing of such was done, no standing operating procedure (SOP), no code of conduct and with their unprofessional administrative pride cannot execute section 39 (3) of the law, which allows the Agency to use the extant regulations of the professional practice of the Oyo State civil service commission despite having Barr. Akinbode Iyabode Enitan as the Board Sectary / Legal adviser, Mr Tijani Adelani as director of admin and supplies, Mrs Adigun Yetunde director of finance and account, Pastor Adedeji Olusoji director of planning and strategic, Mrs Ayoola media to Amotekun Board, who are seconded to the Agency from Oyo State civil service commission to institute professional practice in the Agency.

Training and retraining exercise is a pertinent exercise in a military or paramilitary security outfit like Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps. This exercise is critical to excellent performance of operatives, as its basic objective is to build skills and knowledge, practice coordination mechanism, or value procedures. At the conclusion of the exercise, commander and in many cases, the troops collectively re-view their performance. Training also prepares commands and forces for operations in times of peace, conflict and crises. This element is not sufficiently carried out in the unprofessional practice of the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps administration. The Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps management organized just three consecutive training exercises in three years, for Oyo state Amotekun who most of them (95%) are not familiar with paramilitary operation. And those trained are not even given opportunity to practice what acquired.

Professionally, administrative zones were mandated to create in section 17 of the Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020, so as to bring professional practice to the Agency. But the greediness of having only one deputy Corps commander also against the professional provision of the law in section 17 that allows Amotekun Corps deputy commanders to head each zone. But the wish of the Oyo State Amotekun Corps commandant to become billionaire that he could not become during the years of his service to Nigeria Army can now be achieved under being a sole administrator in the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps. And also to enrich Mr Akinro the only deputy Corps commandant of Oyo State Amotekun.

In conclusion, base on information gathered within the Oyo State Amotekun operatives, all the Oyo State Amotekun operatives are thirsting for better administration in the Agency, but they dare not talk, for the fear of unlawful and disgraceful dismissal. Therefore, the Oyo State governor Engineer Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State House of Assembly, the Oyo State head of civil service commission, the Oyo State Attorney general, Oyo State ministry of establishment and Oyo State Amotekun board of governance (chairman and members) to please use your constitutional power and position to constitute and compulsory professional practice in the administration of Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps which should be in line with the Agency law 2020. Or impose the extant regulations of the Oyo State civil service commission on the administration of Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps, as stated in section 39 (3) of the Oyo State Security Network Agency law 2020.