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Democracy Day 2019: Of “Stolen Mandate” and Second Bite at the Cherry
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By Raymond Nkannebe
A dark cloud hung in the firmament as president Muhammadu Buhari took his second oath of office yesterday as the 5th democratically elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. While it was a day of jubilation in the camp of the ruling APC despite the ugly events of Zamfara couple of days ago, it was a sharp contrast in the camp of the main opposition party who continues to maintain that the mandate of their Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was stolen in an election that can only be qualified by one word : controversy. It is on record that president Muhammadu Buhari has been dragged to the tribunal by the PDP and it’s candidate Atiku Abubakar contending that his victory was a contrived one, and asking to be declared the winner of the election. Little wonder why as the low-key event at the Eagle Square went on, #AtikuDeyCome and #StolenMandate trended on the microblogging platform-Twitter. Some persons even argued that the reason for the low-keyed celebration yesterday was the uncertainty of how long the victory would last especially in the face of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Zamfara. The presidency however has a different explanation for the rather unusual occasion highlighted by the non-reading of the traditional inaugural address.
On a day that usually boasts the presence of many former leaders of the Country and dignitaries from outside our shores, yesterday’s event was a radical break from the
past. As the ceremony took it’s tool, only one former head of state was visible-Alhaji Yakubu Gowon; a presence that put in sharp focus the abscence of his counterparts. Former presidents Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan perhaps would rather attend to other engagements than play guest to a president whose victory is touted to have been on a dirty electoral slate than confer legitimacy on the process with their presence. For the presidency however, the abscence of these men may not completely be surprising having hot hidden their support for the opposition party in the build up to the last general elections. The jury however is still out on whether the loud abscence of some of these former leaders accords with their lofty position as statesmen.
Arguably no one understands the concept of “stolen mandate” more than president Muhammadu Buhari. All through his attempt at becoming a democratically elected president, it is on record that he challenged each of those elections in court all of which culminated at the Supreme Court in a hurting defeat leaving behind a large body of adjectival jurisprudence on electoral disputes. He therefore appreciates Atiku’s position having shared his ‘shoes’ more than once. Yet, the recently scandalised presidential election Petitions tribunal at the instance of the petitioners, remains without a chairman, and until it gets one, cannot effectively adjudicate on the extent to which Atiku Abubakar’s mandate was stolen as widely believed by his support base. Part of that process would also be to find out whether President Muhammadu Buhari won a popular victory in substantial compliance with the current state of our electoral laws as the supreme court remains of the considered sentiments that no election is a perfection.
Pending when all that is done and the realities to be brought about by it, president Muhammadu Buhari stands on the better side of fortune having being administered with the 2nd instructive oath of office that earns him a second bite at the cherry. It is a rare privilege that must not be taken for granted by the septuagenerian, his first term having not been completely a success in the socio-economic details of governance.
As many analysts have observed, his second term in office affords him the latitude and the benefit of hindsight to right some, if not all the wrongs of his first term under the saddle. There is a consensus in town that this president’s respect for the Rule of Law, has been anything but complimentary given his body lexis to certain judicial pronouncements as appertains to the civil liberties of some senior citizens who could just pass for prisoners of conscience on account of the peculiarities of their prolonged incarceration. To underscore the importance of this, the Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)-a leading voice of the Civil Society instructively admonishes that every single day of Buhari’s second term should be expended in the observance of the Rule of Law. This writer cannot agree less.
Beyond the Rule of Law, President Muhammadu Buhari owes it as a duty to Nigerians to better their socio-economic wellbeing as far as practicable. Under his watch in the first term, The Brookings Institution rated Nigeria as the country with the poorest citizens instructively observing that for every 6 minutes that passes, at least one Nigerian falls into extreme poverty. This economic reality leaves a sour taste in the mouth. And by all means, adequate remedial measures must be taken to lift as many people as possible out of poverty. And it does not take rocket science to do that having been experimented in many countries around the world. Buhari’s new economic team must therefore not compromise on this task. Happily, ours is not a nation in short supply of capable hands and egg heads, and all efforts must be made to narrow political considerations in search of a team with the wherewithal to turn around this economy for the greatest good of the greatest number. If more and more Nigerians can put food on their table, president Buhari would have delivered on a core mandate of governance: food security.
In the sundry areas of security, infrastructure, the fight against corruption, education, labour relations, healthcare inter alia, president Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford not to consolidate on the string of gains made here and there under his first term. In the look out for his new retinue of ministers which must not take forever, the right heads must be hunted to bring to bear their wealth of experience in the general service to motherland. Decrepit and deficit infrastructure remains an albatross on our journey to economic boom, and everything must be done to upend it’s current slate. The same attitude must also be extended to other areas where we continue to play catch-up.
Having said that, it is in bad taste that the election that affords this second term remains a litigious warfare. And not just that, a staggering 736 election Petitions remain in docket of the judiciary in virtually all parts of the country. This leaves behind an ugly impression for our electoral process and effectively puts electoral reforms in issue. Analysts are agreed that the failure to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill was precipitous of the charade that was the 2019 general elections. A sentiment that lays the blame at the feet of the president rightly or wrongly.
As a matter of urgency therefore, president Muhammadu Buhari must make it a cardinal plank of his second term in office to enhance our electoral process which few days ago was bemoaned by the chairman of the electoral commission, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu. A veritable way out is the enthronement of the modalities of electronic voting and legislative sanctioning of same atleast before the next general elections. President Muhammadu Buhari is himself a victim of our sloppy electoral system, and must rise to the occasion in rewriting the story. Seeing that our democracy would not be captured in refreshing adjectives with our periodic elections almost always the subject of impossible litigations.
Having declared a fortnight ago that Nigeria must restructure to make any meaningful progress, even if in what could compete for the greatest turn-about of the century given his earlier posturing to the restructuring debate, President Muhammadu Buhari has the rare opportunity of restructuring Nigeria along fiscal lines so as to unbundle the unwieldy and behemoth unitary system mistaken for a federalism. A sure way to do that is to look back at the report of the well regarded 2014 CONFAB which pundits believe has addressed all the salient issues that often rear their heads whenever the restructuring question comes up. Sending that report to the 9th National Assembly might just be the boldest effort at restructuring.
All things considered, the general circumstances of his life, leaves the irresistible conclusion that president Muhammadu Buhari is a friend of history. It was British professor Dave Wilson that said, “sometimes life gives you a second chance. Or even two! Not always, but sometimes! It’s what you do with those second chances that counts”.
This much, represents the political trajectory of this president. His first coming was as a military dictator some 36 years ago, long before this writer was born. Providence ushered him again onto the scene four years ago as the 4th democratically elected president of Nigeria. Here he is again, looking set to join the lean tribe of Nigerians who ruled the country for at least a decade and suffice it to say that he has all the opportunity in the whole wide world to become one of Nigeria’s greatest presidents. Pending the outcome of the Petition against him, he must be alive to Dave Wilson’s admonitions that it is what we do with the second chance life throws at us, that counts.
Raymond Nkannebe is a legal practitioner based in Lagos.
By Tolulope A. Adegoke
Freedom is humanity’s greatest triumph. But every liberation comes with a hidden bill, and true leadership is defined by how we choose to pay it.
INTRODUCTION: THE UNSEEN PRICE OF OUR GREATEST VICTORY
Freedom is the anthem of our age. From the ballot box to the boardroom to the bedroom, we celebrate the expansion of choice and autonomy. We march for it, vote for it, and sacrifice for it. We have enshrined it in constitutions, encoded it in market regulations, and elevated it as the ultimate human aspiration. Yet, as we applaud each new victory of liberation, we have failed to open the liberty ledger—the silent accounting of what we owe in return. There is a debt we pay, not in currency, but in psychological exhaustion, corporate integrity, and national cohesion. And that debt is now coming due with alarming urgency.
This is not a call to abandon freedom. It is a call to mature beyond the adolescent fantasy that liberation is a one-time event. The truth, as history and contemporary experience demonstrate, is far more sobering. Freedom is not a finish line; it is a perpetual negotiation. Every act of emancipation—whether a nation throwing off colonial rule, a corporation breaking free from regulatory oversight, or an individual shedding the constraints of tradition—sets in motion a cascade of hidden liabilities. These liabilities, if left unacknowledged, metastasize into crises that undermine the very freedom they were meant to secure. True leadership, therefore, must be redefined. It is not measured by the freedom we acquire, but by the weight we bear to preserve it for those who follow.
PART I: THE PARADOX OF PERSONAL FREEDOM – LIBERATION WITHOUT ANCHORS
For the individual, never have we possessed more freedom. We can choose our careers, our relationships, our spiritual paths, and our identities with a latitude that would have been unimaginable to previous generations. Digital platforms connect us to global communities, and economic mobility offers opportunities once reserved for the privileged few. Yet, the data tells a profoundly unsettling story. The World Health Organization reports a 25% surge in anxiety and depressive disorders over the past decade, with young adults bearing the heaviest burden. Suicide rates have climbed in nearly every region of the developed world.
What is driving this contradiction? The answer lies in the erosion of external scaffolding. For millennia, human beings derived their sense of stability, identity, and purpose from traditional structures: family, faith, community, and inherited social roles. These structures provided pre-packaged life scripts. They answered fundamental questions—”Who am I?” “What is my purpose?” “Where do I belong?”—without requiring each individual to reinvent the wheel from scratch.
Liberation dismantled these scripts. In doing so, it granted unprecedented autonomy, but it also transferred the entire burden of existential meaning-making onto the individual. This is what existential philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Viktor Frankl called the “burden of choice.” When we are free to become anything, we are also forced to become something—and that act of creation is terrifying.
The result is decision fatigue, chronic anxiety, and a gnawing sense of inadequacy. Social media amplifies this crisis by presenting a relentless parade of curated perfection, encouraging perpetual comparison and self-doubt. Ironically, freedom from prejudice and tradition has birthed new forms of self-imposed tyranny: the pressure to be perfectly curated, professionally agile, and perpetually happy. We have produced a generation that is free from external chains but enslaved to internal dissonance. This is the hidden cost of personal liberation—and it is a crisis that demands a leadership response.
True leadership in the personal sphere begins with the recognition that autonomy without emotional intelligence is a ship without a rudder. We must institutionalize emotional literacy, teach decision-theory in schools, and destigmatize therapy as a routine practice of self-maintenance. We must also revive what sociologists call “third spaces”—public libraries, community gardens, intergenerational mentorship hubs, and cultural centers—that offer belonging without coercion. These spaces serve as psychological moorings, anchoring us against the storm of radical autonomy. Mental health first aid must become as routine as physical health screenings. This is not a soft indulgence; it is a strategic investment in human capital and social stability.
PART II: THE CORPORATE LEDGER – WHEN MARKET FREEDOM BECOMES MARKET LICENSE
For corporations, freedom has historically been synonymous with market liberalization, deregulation, and shareholder primacy. The victory of corporate liberation—from the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 to the global proliferation of private equity—has catalyzed extraordinary innovation. We have witnessed technological revolutions, global supply chains, and wealth creation on an unprecedented scale. Yet, the hidden cost manifests as strategic myopia and systemic ethical erosion.
When oversight is removed, corporate entities frequently conflate freedom with license. The results are not abstract theoretical concerns; they are catastrophic realities. Consider the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, which was not merely an engineering failure but a failure of leadership culture—a culture that prioritized speed and cost-cutting over safety and environmental stewardship. Consider the gig-economy revolution, which has created remarkable flexibility but also a precarious underclass of workers without benefits, job security, or collective bargaining power. Consider the 2008 subprime crisis, which was not a natural disaster but a direct consequence of financial deregulation and the reckless pursuit of short-term profits.
Beyond these operational failures lies a deeper, more insidious cost: reputational fragility. A corporation freed from government anchors must now answer to a hyper-critical public, volatile social media campaigns, and activist shareholders—all within a relentless 24-hour news cycle. The very freedom to pivot strategies, downsize workforces, or relocate headquarters has cultivated a transactional culture devoid of loyalty. Short-term quarterly earnings systematically undermine long-term sustainable value. Leadership has become synonymous with quarterly performance, and stewardship has been replaced by speculative arbitrage.
The Edelman Trust Barometer consistently confirms this crisis. Over 60% of global citizens now distrust business leaders, viewing corporate freedom not as a gift but as a euphemism for unbridled greed. This erosion of trust is not a public relations problem; it is a leadership pathology. When trust collapses, everything collapses: employee engagement, consumer loyalty, investor confidence, and regulatory goodwill. The freedom to operate, it turns out, is contingent upon the social license to operate.
True leadership in the corporate sphere requires a fundamental shift from shareholder primacy to stakeholder stewardship. Corporations must legally restructure their charters to include explicit fiduciary duties not only to shareholders, but also to employees, communities, and the biosphere. This is not philanthropy; it is risk management. Companies that embed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics into executive compensation structures reduce long-term volatility and enhance brand resilience.
Furthermore, every major strategic decision—mergers, downsizing, new market expansions—must undergo a mandatory “hidden cost impact assessment” that quantifies psychological, social, and ecological externalities. This converts abstract moral costs into concrete, mitigable financial line items. Finally, corporations must co-create governance councils with civil society representatives and local government entities. By treating operational freedom as a perishable privilege that must be continuously earned, corporate leaders can transform hidden costs into competitive advantages, securing premium talent, investor confidence, and long-term market stability. This is the new fiduciary duty of modern leadership.
PART III: THE GEOPOLITICAL LEDGER – SOVEREIGNTY AS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
For sovereign states, the ultimate victory is complete sovereignty—the freedom to chart foreign policy, manage national resources, and enforce legal frameworks without external interference. The dissolution of empires, the collapse of communist blocs, and the democratization of authoritarian regimes represent some of the most profound achievements of modern history. Yet, this victory incurs a crushing hidden cost: the absolute and unilateral responsibility for national security, economic stability, and social cohesion.
Historical evidence is instructive and sobering. Post-colonial transitions across Africa and Asia frequently produced not prosperity but civil war, ethnic conflict, and economic disintegration. Post-communist transformations in Eastern Europe witnessed the dissolution of social safety nets, the rise of oligarchic capitalism, and a generation of disillusionment. Even mature democracies, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, have experienced the “weight of victory” in the form of polarized legislatures, deteriorating public infrastructure, and fiscal insolvency. When a nation is liberated from imperial or authoritarian control, it inherits a broken bureaucracy, a fragmented civil society, and a hollowed industrial base. The liberation may be political, but the reconstruction is existential.
The most profound cost is the maintenance of legitimacy. Unlike dictatorial regimes that rule by coercion, free nations must govern through consent—a process that is inherently messy, resource-intensive, and slow. Electoral processes, judicial appeals, public consultations, and independent media consume enormous fiscal and emotional capital. Furthermore, the freedom to select alliances, trade partners, and defense strategies creates perpetual geopolitical anxiety. The nation that was once a pawn is now a player—yet every strategic move carries the risk of diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, or military confrontation.
The ultimate tragedy is the dissolution of collective purpose. Freedom from a common enemy often fractures national unity. The United States, following the Cold War, experienced a crisis of national purpose that persists to this day. The Soviet Union’s dissolution left many post-Soviet republics in economic chaos and identity vacuums. The Arab Spring, which was celebrated globally as a democratic awakening, descended into devastating civil wars in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Freedom, without a unifying narrative, becomes a centrifugal force that tears nations apart. Leadership, in this context, must provide not only liberty but meaning.
True leadership in the national sphere requires strategic statecraft and adaptive governance. Nations must institutionalize four interconnected pillars. First, constitutional resilience mechanisms: constitutions should incorporate “circuit breakers” for political polarization—including mandatory national dialogues, citizen assemblies, and independent fiscal councils—that intervene during periods of acute crisis. Second, national unity covenants: rather than relying on external threats for consolidation, nations must forge cross-partisan “prosperity pacts” centered on measurable, bipartisan objectives such as energy independence, universal digital access, and healthcare equity. Third, regional integration with safeguards: the singular burden of sovereignty can be shared through supranational frameworks like the European Union, ASEAN, or the African Union, but integration must be predicated upon subsidiarity—ensuring that local identities and national legislative autonomy are preserved. Fourth, national resilience funds: every liberated nation should establish a sovereign wealth fund that sequesters a fixed percentage of resource revenues specifically for systemic shocks—pandemics, climate catastrophes, cyber-attacks, and demographic collapse. These pillars transform the weight of sovereignty from a crushing burden into a sustainable framework for enduring prosperity.
PART IV: ONE LEDGER, THREE COLUMNS – THE INTERCONNECTED CRISIS
It is critical to recognize that the hidden costs for peoples, corporates, and nations are not discrete or isolated. They are dynamically interlocking. When a corporation exploits its market freedom to maximize quarterly profits, it destabilizes national labor markets, exacerbates income inequality, and intensifies individual psychological distress. When a nation asserts its sovereignty through aggressive foreign policies, it disrupts global supply chains, destabilizes corporate logistics, and propagates civilian anxiety. Conversely, when an individual exercises freedom irresponsibly—through excessive consumption or financial imprudence—it fuels corporate extraction and depletes national fiscal reserves.
This systemic entanglement means that fragmented, sector-specific solutions are inherently insufficient. A holistic resolution requires a tripartite compact—a legally and ethically binding agreement among the state, the market, and the citizenry. This compact must enshrine the foundational principle that freedom is a form of stewardship, not a conditional entitlement. Leadership, at every level, must recognize that liberty is a trust—a trust that requires careful management, transparent accounting, and unwavering commitment to the common good.
PART V: THE LIBERTY LOAD INDEX – A GLOBAL MEASURE FOR LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY
Imagine a global benchmark—a Liberty Load Index—that assesses how well a nation or corporation balances freedom with resilience. This index would measure three critical variables: psychological burden (mental health prevalence, suicide rates, and life satisfaction scores); corporate accountability (ESG compliance, ethical breach records, and workforce satisfaction); and national stability (fiscal health, political polarization, and infrastructure quality).
Nations and corporations that achieve a healthy “sweet spot”—where freedom is responsibly balanced with resilience—would receive preferential access to international development financing, improved sovereign credit ratings, and expedited trade agreements. Conversely, entities exhibiting “freedom fatigue”—high liberty indices but low resilience scores—would be mandated to participate in internationally supported stewardship reconstruction programs. This is not socialism; it is prudent global risk management. It is also the hallmark of mature leadership on the world stage.
CONCLUSION: THE VICTORY OF MATURITY
The hidden cost of freedom is, at its core, the price of collective maturity. Children demand liberty without understanding its consequences; adults accept it as a package deal with obligations. For centuries, humanity has fought to liberate itself from external tyrants, monopolies, and empires. Yet, the next frontier of struggle is not against external oppressors. It is against the internal atrophy, fragmentation, and fatigue that inevitably follow liberation.
By objectively recognizing, quantitatively measuring, and systematically addressing the psychological, strategic, and geopolitical weights that accompany victory, global leaders can transform these hidden costs from silent ravagers into visible architects of sustainable progress. The solution is not to abandon freedom—such a regression would be existential folly. The solution is to carry the weight with dignity and institutional intelligence, to construct systemic support structures that distribute the burden equitably, and to instill in every citizen, executive, and statesman a profound truth: that true leadership is not merely the right to choose—it is the wisdom to choose well, with foresight, responsibility, and collective solidarity.
In doing so, humanity converts a hidden cost into a hidden strength. We transform a heavy burden into a proud badge of enduring stewardship. And we ensure that the victory of delivering freedom to peoples, corporates, and nations is not a fleeting historical euphoria, but a permanent, prosperous, and peaceful inheritance for all generations yet to come.
Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and thought leader at the nexus of security, governance, and strategic leadership. His mission is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, resilient nation building, and global peace. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com, globalstageimpacts@gmail.com
The Police Command in Plateau State has warned its personnel against unlawfully demanding and searching citizens’ mobile phones.
The Commissioner of Police (CP) in the State, Bassey Ewah, issued the warning while addressing its personnel in Jos.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, Alfred Alabo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
“No personnel of this command has the legal authority to search mobile phone of any citizen on the road without a court warrant,” Alabo quoted Ewah as saying.
The PPRO said that the commissioner, who reiterated the command’s commitment to professionalism, warned personnel against unprofessional conduct.
He added that the commissioner advised residents to politely decline any unlawful attempt by personnel to search their phones and report the incident to the nearest police station.
Alabo also advised residents of the State to report any incident of harassment through the following phone numbers: 08034448617, 08060545670, 08037681026, 09016146804, and 09051145757.
The PPRO further reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting the lives, property and rights of law abiding residents in line with global best practices.
NAN
The Enugu State Forest Guard and the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers have resolved to deepen collaboration in intelligence gathering, crime prevention and community-based security as part of sustained efforts to enhance peace, protect lives and property, and deny criminal elements safe havens across Enugu State.
The resolution, according to a statement signed by the Commander, Dr. Akinbayo O. Olasoji, on behalf of the outfit, was reached during a high-level interactive session held at the Traditional Council Chambers, Enugu, between the Commander of the Enugu State Forest Guard, Dr. Akinbayo O. Olasoji, PhD, MNIM, MNIPS, CPI, CINTA, CTA, FGCP, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rtd.), and the Chairman and members of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
A major out come of the meeting was the unanimous recognition that the three hundred and sixty-six (366) recognised Traditional Rulers in Enugu State constitute the State’s largest community-based security network and remain indispensable partners in intelligence gathering, early warning, conflict prevention, community mobilisation and the protection of forests and ruralvcommunities.
The Royal Fathers reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with the Enugu State Forest Guard, in accordance with the provisions of the Enugu State Forest Guard Law, by strengthening community intelligence, identifying suspicious movements, promoting vigilance with in their domains, encouraging the prompt reporting of
criminal activities and supporting lawful security operations across the State.
Presenting his One-Year Stewardship Review, titled “One Year of Transformation,
Leadership and Operational Impact: Building an Institution. Securing Our Future,” Dr. Olasoji expressed profound appreciation to His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Executive Governor of Enugu State, for his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to strengthening the State’s security architecture through the establishment and continued support of the Enugu State Forest Guard.
The Commander reviewed the remarkable progress recorded during the Forest Guard’s first year of operation, highlighting the establishment of a functional command structure across the three Senatorial Commands, seventeen Local Government Area Commands, forty-two Operational Sector Commands and more than two hundred and sixty Ward Security Units.
He further highlighted the institutionalisation of Standard Operating Procedures, strengthened command and control systems, enhanced operational accountability, expansion of intelligence-led patrols and deployments, intensified forest surveillance and bush-combing operations, improved operational reporting systems and sustained investment in specialised training covering intelligence gathering, cybersecurity, leadership, operational reporting, ethics, human rights and community engagement.
Dr. Olasoji reaffirmed that the operational philosophy of the Enugu State Forest Guard remains firmly anchored on intelligence-led, preventive and community-based security, emphasising that timely intelligence, early warning and proactive intervention remain the most effective tools for preventing crime before it occurs.
The interactive session also provided an opportunity for the Royal Fathers to present security concerns affecting their various communities.
Particular attention was drawn to the recurring incidents of kidnapping within the boundary communities of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area. The Council called for sustained intelligence-led operations, increased surveillance and stronger collaboration among the Forest Guard, sister security agencies and host communities to
dismantle criminal hideouts operating within forest corridors and border communities.
The Royal Fathers also expressed concerns over emerging security challenges in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area and urged that intelligence gathering, surveillance and operational presence be further strengthened to
address criminal activities and reassure affected communities.
The meeting also deliberated extensively on the ongoing Forest Guard recruitment exercise.
Clarifying the position of the Command, Dr.Olasoji informed the Council that the recruitment exercise has been temporarily suspended pending the conclusion of the Recruitment Committees’ final deliberations. He explained that the suspension is intended to enable the Committees to conclude their assignment and ensure that the recruitment process remains transparent, credible, merit-based and fully compliant with established procedures.
He assured the Royal Fathers that no further action would be taken until the Committees complete their assignment and that the approved modalities for the continuation of the recruitment exercise would there after be officially communicated to the public in the interest of transparency, fairness and due process.
The Commander further explained that administrative decisions arising from the recruitment process, including the
suspension of certain personnel, are being handled strictly in accordance with established procedures, institutional regulations and the principles of fairness, accountability and justice.
The Chairman and members of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers commended the remarkable transformation recorded by the Enugu State Forest Guard within its first year of operation and expressed confidence in the leadership, professionalism and operational direction of the Command.
The Council unanimously resolved to strengthen collaboration between every recognised traditional institution and the Enugu State Forest Guard by promoting community intelligence, strengthening early warning systems, supporting lawful security operations and encouraging citizens to provide timely information capable of preventing crime.
The Royal Fathers further pledged to work closely with Forest Guard Commanders, Sector Officers, Presidents-General, community leaders, hunters, neighbourhood security groups and other lawful stakeholders to enhance intelligence gathering, improve community resilience and reinforce peace and security through out Enugu State.
In his closing remarks, Dr.Olasoji reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the Enugu State Forest Guard to professionalism, discipline, accountability, respect for human rights and intelligence-led operations. He called on all stakeholders to remain united in support of the Governor’s vision of a safe, secure and prosperous Enugu State, stressing that security remains a shared responsibility requiring the active participation of government, traditional
institutions, security agencies and everylaw-abiding citizen.
The meeting concluded with aunanimous commitment by the Enugu State Forest Guard and the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers to deepen intelligence-led community security, strengthen forest protection and enhance collaboration across all communities in the State. Both parties reaffirmed their resolve to work together to ensure that every forest, rural community and border corridor in Enugu State remains safe, peaceful and conducive to agriculture, investment and sustainable development.
The royal fathers prayed for Dr. Olasoji for God’s protection in what he is doing for ndi Enugu through Enugu state forest guard.
