Tonye Cole, Rivers APC governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, has called for a data-driven and accountable approach to tackling Nigeria’s security challenges and improving governance.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Cole discussed the worsening state of insecurity across Nigeria, the need for measurable security outcomes, and concerns about local government elections in Rivers State.
On the state of national security, Cole emphasised the importance of accountability backed by data. “One of the things that we must always do is that we have baselines. What are the baseline numbers? And where are we going from there? Amnesty International captures numbers. But now, we don’t capture numbers… And I suspect that one of the biggest problems that we have in Nigeria is that the accountability backed by scientific evidence does not exist,” he said.
Cole highlighted the need for public confidence in government security efforts. “If we’re talking about state of emergencies and issues that bother Nigeria, security is one issue that our government has to take front and center. We cannot play with security anymore. Nobody feels safe,” he said, adding that citizens must be able to see tangible improvements.
He criticised the lack of credible, independent data on security issues, noting that without proper statistics, policies cannot succeed. “What backs data and integrity of data is when an independent body that is inside that says that this data and my data correlate. Amnesty is bringing out data every day. People believe, rightly or wrongly, that amnesty data has integrity. Now, MBS, at the other end, if they counter that, there needs to be proof,” Cole said.
He further argued that the government must fund and support robust data collection. “Who is going to pay for the data? Nigeria has to pay for the data. Where’s the money? No, no. Is it going to be a line item in the budget? It must be.”
Cole also commented on regional and international cooperation on security, stressing measurable results.
“The cooperation around the ECOWAS sub-region, very, very important. Nobody will tell you that that is not important. What matters is that, one, what’s your baseline? The things that you are putting out there, what results are they bringing? And how are you measuring it?”
Beyond national security, Cole addressed concerns about local government elections in Rivers State. He said holding elections during a state of emergency sends the wrong signal for democracy.
“I personally feel that having that election in the time of a state of emergency, under an election, I think it just says everything wrong about democracy. If you have suspended all the democratic institutions, it makes me well suspended for whatever reason. You cannot be having elections under that government. So I do think that is right. Even the perception of it is wrong,” he said.
Cole warned against politicising security and governance, noting the misalignment of priorities in deploying military and police resources.
“How can you have a tax force that works for security in a country where Zanfara states just common states election, five poli-units. They brought, goodness me, trucks and trucks of military, police, NSNBC, and everybody there. It was a full detachment there for one small election just because the APC wanted to win PDP. But when it comes to critical matters, we’re always seeing banditry and everything. Why can’t that detachment go to stop people that are trying to kidnap people in Zanfara states?”
He concluded by urging the government to focus on actions that demonstrate tangible improvements in citizens’ safety and democratic governance.
“What we’re saying, as you said, about doing more means that, two, you have to compete better. You have to have evidence that the things you are doing is actually working. That means that people must believe that their lives matter. And I think that’s what the issue is. People do believe that their lives matter.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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