I shall be watching closely to see if Tinubu and Shettima can use Amotekun as a blueprint for state police forces as part of their security plans

Ayo Akinfe

[1] With Nigeria increasingly veering towards state police forces as the centralised Nigeria Police Force is hopelessly overwhelmed by the current insecurity epidemic, Amotekun is looking like the best template to use to combat the epidemic

[2] I like the fact that all sorts of safeguards are being put in place to prevent the Amotekun Corps becoming a band of thugs, political hoodlums, an ethnic militia or an uncontrollable congregation of hooligans. I am pleased that it is not being used by governors during these elections. We need a bill sent to the National Assembly on this matter if the Amotekun blueprint is to be adopted nationally

[3] Among the checks and balances I have read about are suggestions that recruits be given psychiatric tests, that they get their forms attested to by the traditional rulers, district police officers or local government chairmen and that an insurance scheme be provided for all operatives. This is a good start

[4] For now, what is also lacking is a commercial masterplan to make the project an exemplary initiative in self-sustainability. A State Police Security Bill needs to address all this too. Every geo-political zone will have to make its regional police force self-sustaining. In the southwest for instance, what I would do is clear 10,000 square kilometre of land in Irepo, Olorunsogo, Orelope and Ori Ire local government areas of Oyo State extending into Ejigbo, Ola Oluwa, Iwo, Orolu and Odo Otin local government areas of Osun State. There, we will open a leopard colony which I will call Amotekunville. I will import 200 leopards from DR Congo and open Nigeria’s first big cat sanctuary. Getting the project going will involve resettling villagers as happened when we built Kainji Dam in 1964

[5] I will also import about 5,000 impala antelopes so the leopards have a food source. The idea is to make the sanctuary self-sustaining so animals can feed as if they are in the wild. By 2025, I will look to include zebras, buffaloes, wild boars and baboons to Amotekunville

[6] By 2025, I will start construction on 500 tourists cabins, three hotels, a nature trail, restaurants, etc to facilitate the growth of an unprecedented tourist industry. The whole idea is to make Amotekunville self-sustaining to the point whereby it can fund the Amotekun Corps without government intervention. My plan is that by December 2025, a bustling tourist industry is up and thriving

[7] I will also invite textile manufacturers to open a clothing factory in somewhere like Ijebu Ode to make Amotekun attires from Aso oke, adire, ankara, guinea brocade, etc. We will produce designer agbadas, head ties, laptop cases, IPad covers, etc

[8] A keyring and other memorabilia factory will be opened in say Akure with a mandate to produce as many mementos as possible. They will churn out Amotekun mugs, T-shirts, pens, rulers, baseball caps, trainers, etc. Annually, this factory should be generating at least $50m

[9] I would sell Amotekun rights to our food producers so they start producing Amotekun Ikokore, Amotekun Gbegiri, Amotekun Asun, Amotekun Lafun, Amotekun Gari, Amotekun Elubo, Amotekun Jollof Rice, Amotekun Ogi, etc. Over the next two years, I would also open the Amotekun Electronics Company in say Epe. It will manufacture finished household goods like fridges, TV sets, laptops, washing machines, etc. The idea is for it to become the local equivalent of Phillips

[10] I would also build an Amotekun cocoa grinding plant, sawmill and palm oil processing plant at Ore. Given Ore’s location on the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, it is well located to ship these goods to the rest of the country. A regional railway link will be built, linking all five states together. A dedicated line will then be constructed linking them with Abuja