Lagos Man O’ War Commander Links Insecurity to Weak Information Sharing

Ayodele Ajayi, who leads the Lagos State Command of Man O’ War Nigeria, has identified insufficient information exchange among the populace as a significant factor exacerbating Nigeria's persistent security challenges. He emphasized that safeguarding the nation is a collective endeavor, necessitating active public engagement and timely intelligence contributions.

Ajayi made these remarks on Saturday during the inaugural lecture organized by the Lagos State Command of Man O’ War Nigeria. The event, held at the Women Development Centre in Agege, Lagos State, focused on the theme: “From Vigilance to Intelligence: The Role of Citizens in Modern Security Architecture.” Dignitaries and representatives from key security organizations, including the military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigeria Customs Service, were in attendance.

Addressing the audience, Ajayi highlighted that Man O’ War was founded with the aim of fostering leadership capabilities and civic responsibility, underscoring the organization's view of security as a shared obligation. He stated, “Security is everybody’s business. One of the ways to be a good and responsible citizen is to organise programmes like this where discussions on security can take place and information can be shared.”

According to Ajayi, Nigeria's security predicaments have worsened due to inadequate information sharing and a lack of public awareness regarding citizens’ roles in assisting security agencies. He explained, “We are in this security mess because we’ve not been sharing information well, or maybe we’ve not been sharing information through the right channels. We’ve also not been teaching citizens their roles. Security is not just for the agencies; citizens also have an active role to play. Information can never be too much, and teaching can never be too much.”

He expressed confidence that attendees would depart from the lecture with a clearer understanding of the type of information valuable to security agencies. “I’m sure one takeaway from this lecture is that we all know security is our civic responsibility. People have been able to learn, relearn and unlearn some things about security,” he added.

On the ongoing discussions about establishing state policing, Ajayi clarified that it is not Man O’ War’s prerogative to determine which entity should assume such a role, noting that this decision rests solely with the government. “It is not in the hands of Man O’ War to decide. We have a responsible government, and the government knows what to do,” he remarked.

He further assured that Man O’ War possesses the organizational structure and trained personnel at the grassroots level to undertake any duties assigned by the government. “In terms of structure, Man O’ War has a structure down to the grassroots, and we have trained personnel ready to take up any function assigned to us by the government. But it is not our role to say this is what we want to do. The government will determine who is responsible for state policing or which agency will take up that responsibility,” he affirmed.

Ajayi also touched upon public perception of the organization, acknowledging that some members of the public previously held negative views. He stated, “In the past, people felt Man O’ War was just an organisation where people were beaten around. Like every organisation, there may be bad eggs, but what we’ve done in recent times is rebrand the organisation. You can see it in our dressing, our appearance and the kind of programmes we organise. It’s a matter of perception, and people can now see the rebranding that has taken place.”

He appealed to Nigerian youths to embrace greater civic responsibility instead of solely depending on the government. “The future lies in our hands, and a country that doesn’t take its youth seriously is killing its future. We shouldn’t wait for the government to do everything for us. We should take responsibility in our own little corners because we are all leaders in our own little corners. People blame President Bola Tinubu whenever something happens, but I always ask, ‘What have you done?’ If every young person becomes a responsible citizen and plays their part, Nigeria will be a better place for all,” he urged.

Ajayi concluded by revealing plans for two more editions of the lecture before the year ends, indicating it would be an ongoing initiative to engage and enlighten citizens.