Amotekun, S’South Soon To-be ‘REDCRAB’ Will Bring The Real Nigeria Envisaged By The Founding Fathers – Tony Uranta

Tony Uranta, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian National Summit Group (NNSG), has said regional security outfits like the Southwest Amotekun and soon-to-be ‘REDCRAB’ in the South-South geopolitical zone, would only help to return the real Nigeria that was envisaged by the founding fathers and not serve as tools for disintegration.

Uranta stated this in a snippet of an interview BIGPEN excerpted from the Sunday SUN, saying that regional security outfit is a healthy and welcome development that’s in tandem with the United State of America model of democracy that Nigeria had copied.

According to him, the ‘REDCRAB’, an acronym taken from all the first letters of the names of the states in the South-south geopolitical zone of the country may end up being the ‘Amotekun’ version of regional security outfit of the South-South.

He, however said that whatever name the governor’s eventually adopted would served the purpose of its establishment which will be legally done through the State Houses of Assemblies for the South-South.

The Niger Delta foremost activist and social critic, said that the South-South regional body, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) where he is also serving as Executive Secretary has long mooted the idea of regional security outfit long before Amotekun was launched.

“The regional security outfit is a healthy and welcome development and, of course, yes, the South-south must key into it and others. It must be fast-tracked.

“I spearheaded the call by the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) which is the equivalent of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, etc, that the governors of the South-south and of the political Niger Delta which includes governors of Imo, Abia and Ondo that they should come together and create a regional security body in line with the Amotekun that has been very foresightedly created and legally so by the Southwest states.

“And our governors of the South-south and the Southeast have come together and agreed to so do even though we hear that one or two torn-coats in the Southeast region are making the region drag its feet and favouring community policing by the Nigeria police which is a federal force.

“The Amotekun shall be called REDCRAB, the acronym is taken from all the first letters of the names of the state in the South-south, but then whichever way it is, whatever they like the South-south is going to legally create theirs because their different state assemblies will before the end of April bring into existence this regional security body”.

He however allayed the fear in some quarters that regional security outfits may end up being the platform for the disintegration of the country.

“No, it is the return to the real Nigeria that was envisaged by the founding fathers when they redrew the 1960 Constitution in 1963 and in the 1963 Constitution each region had its flag, its anthem, its authority in control of all its resources and those regions were also working towards the creation of different police units and arms within the different regions while still subscribing to the national police which is the Nigeria police.

“This is in line with what happens in other climes that we are trying to copy. If you take the simplest example of America, you have the FBI as the national police force, every state has its police unit, every town has its police unit, every municipality has its policing unit, even universities. No police can go into the university in America without a prior invitation or notification to the university’s police.

“This is what must and should be done. I am a Nigerian who is more interested in the unity of Nigeria than the average person, but unity must be premised on justice, equity and fair play not unity premised on one group’s compulsion or decision to force their views, desires, and interests on others. That is not acceptable. If Nigeria does not live according to the tenets of justice, equity and fair play Nigeria shall be divided”.