Now that Amotekun is a reality it has to be underpinned with the opening of a leopard wildlife sanctuary

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) On Friday, the Ekiti State House of Assembly passed the state security bill into law, making Amotekun a legal entity. I expect Governor Kayode Fayemi to sign the bill into law today, making it fully constitutional

(2) Later today, the houses of assemblies in Oyo, Ogun and Ondo states should also pass the bill into law. Over the next few days, their governors should then assent to the bill, making Amotekun a reality that is here to stay

(3) Of the six states in the southwest, Lagos is taking more time than anyone else, which for me is understandable because of its unique demographics. Lagos is highly urbanised, so its Amotekun bill will have to take this into cognisance. Providing security in urban centres is a different ball game from getting hunters to patrol the forests. However, by the end of the week, I expect Lagos State to be on board too

(4) After all the excitement and hysteria, it is time to deliver. We have gone past the stage of hysteria and jubilation. Now that we have this regional security operation, it has to be self-funded. Relying on the federal government to fund the scheme will be suicidal. Apart from anything else, such dependence actually negates the principle of regional and state autonomy

(5) Over the weekend, Senator Shehu Sani likened the six southwest states creating Amotekun to them fixing federal roads. He pointed out that when they fix federal roads they get reimbursed, so as security is a federal responsibility, they should be reimbursed for funding Amotekun. I, however, have never agreed with this concept of federal roads. For me, the federal government should only construct highways. Their maintenance should be the responsibility of the states, so I would say the same thing about Amotekun

(6) Given the precarious finances of Nigeria’s 36 states, if they want to set up regional structures like Amotekun, they simply have to come up with means of funding them. Most states are struggling to pay their civil servants as things are, so Amotekun needs its own source of funding

(7) Over the next few weeks, I want to see the Development Agency of Western Nigeria (Dawn) open a dedicated leopard sanctuary. Dawn should aim to make it the world’s largest leopard sanctuary that attracts at least 1.8m visitors a year as does South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Globally, the leopard is an endangered animal, so we should be making a statement that Nigeria is the animal’s messianic saviour

(8) Annually, Kruge National Park generates about $130m for South Africa and I see no reason why our Amotekun Leopard Sanctuary should not match this. We should also look to establish the world’s foremost big cat research centre, a veterinary hospital and have the most robust anti-poaching laws on earth

(9) Personally, I would locate this leopard sanctuary near Kisi in Oyo State. Kisi in Irepo Local Government Area of Oyo State is the most northerly main town in the southwest geo-political zone. It is based in the savannah region and as we all know, leopards are not forest animals. Having a sanctuary in the tropical rain forest will inhibit the leopard’s ability to hunt, so for me, Kisi is the ideal location

(10) Once this project is launched, it will act as a huge financial boost for the area. For starters, Kisi will need a dual carriageway connecting it to the Oyo-Ogbomosho-Ilorin highway and a railway link connecting it to Ibadan and Ilorin. As part of this regeneration plan, the Oyo State government would also have to build hotels, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, etc in the area. We have gone beyond the excitement stage, now is the time to deliver!