SECURITY VOTE OR SECURITY WASTE?

SECURITY VOTE OR SECURITY WASTE?
_How the Failures of Some Nigerian Governors Are Fueling the Insecurity Killing Our People_

_By Comrade Kunle Sodipo FICSSM, MNINM, ANIPR_
_June 4, 2026_
kdrexafricanchild@gmail.com

Nigeria is drowning in blood, and governors are holding the tap.

Every month, billions leave state treasuries in the name of “Security Vote.” No receipts. No questions. No audit. The constitution says governors are Chief Security Officers of their states. But many have turned that title into Chief Security Wallet Officers.

So the question every Nigerian should scream today is this: Security Vote, or Security Waste?

1. Billions Spent, Bodies Still Falling

From 1999 till today, states have spent trillions on “security votes.” Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Borno, Zamfara — the names change, the figure is always massive. Yet bandits operate freely on highways. Kidnappers run WhatsApp groups to sell victims. Farmers cannot go to their farms without writing a will first.

*If security votes were working, why are we less safe in 2026 than we were in 1999?*
*If governors truly control security, why do terrorists plant flags and collect taxes in LGAs?*
*If the money is for intelligence, why is our intelligence always “surprised” after 200 people are slaughtered?*

The math is simple: Huge votes + Worsening insecurity = Massive failure.

2. How Governor Failures Turn Votes to Waste

*Failure 1: Secrecy Without Accountability*
Security vote has no budget line, no oversight, no FOI. A governor can withdraw ₦1 billion cash and nobody can ask “what was it used for?” So the money becomes salary for political thugs, campaign cash, or hotel bills in Dubai. Security becomes an excuse, not a mission.

*Failure 2: Politics Over Protection*
Some governors only release security funds when their party is threatened, not when villages are threatened. Bandits attack a community for 6 hours, but the state response arrives after the burial. Why? Because the governor is busy fighting his deputy or sponsoring protests in Abuja.

*Failure 3: Neglect of Local Intelligence*
Real security starts with hunters, vigilantes, traditional rulers, and community eyes. But many governors sideline them. They buy armored SUVs for themselves but won’t fund local vigilance groups with motorcycles and radios. They’d rather wait for federal troops that arrive late than empower the people who know the bush.

*Failure 4: No Consequence Culture*
When a governor fails to secure his state, what happens? Nothing. He finishes 8 years, goes to Senate, and gets a standing ovation. So failure pays. Until governors know that “insecurity on my watch = political death,” they will keep treating security votes as “emergency slush funds.”

3. The Cost We Are Paying

Because of this waste, Nigeria bleeds daily:

1. *Farmers are extinct.* Food prices rise because the man who should plant is now in IDP camp.
2. *Schools are empty.* Parents won’t send children to boarding school where kidnappers operate like Uber.
3. *Investment is dead.* No foreigner will build a factory where the governor can’t guarantee his staff won’t be kidnapped.
4. *Trust is broken.* Citizens now believe government is the biggest criminal gang with legal immunity.

All because some governors chose comfort over duty. Chose secrecy over strategy. Chose waste over work.

4. The Questions Governors Must Answer

To every governor collecting security votes today, answer Nigerians:

*How much did you spend on security last month, and how many lives did you save with it?*
*Why can unknown gunmen move freely, but your citizens need police permits to protest?*
*If your security vote cannot stop 20 men on motorcycles from burning 3 villages, what exactly is it securing?*
*When you leave office, will your state be safer, or will you just leave with bulletproof cars and Swiss accounts?*

The grave does not ask for your security vote receipt. History will.

5. Solution: From Waste to Work

Nigeria does not need more security votes. We need security results.

1. *Force transparency.* Publish security vote spending quarterly. Redact details if needed, but show citizens “X amount went to drones, Y amount to local vigilantes.”
2. *Empower locals.* Fund and train community policing. A hunter who knows the forest is worth 10 soldiers from Abuja.
3. *Punish failure.* Any governor whose state records mass killings for 3 months straight should face automatic probe and recall process. No more hiding behind “federal control.”
4. *Citizen audit.* Let civil society and media track security spending. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Final Word: Choose Life, Not Lies

Governors, you asked for the votes. You swore to protect lives and property. That oath was not to your party. It was to the mother in Benue whose children were killed while you were in a hotel.

Nigerians, stop clapping for governors who build bridges but cannot secure roads. A road without safety is just a faster route to the mortuary.

Security Vote should mean Security Delivered. Until then, call it what it is: Security Waste.

And waste has a price. We are paying it in coffins.