The 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), has urged the government to consider licensing fi¥earms for citizens if it cannot guarantee their sa€ety.
He made the remark on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, while reacting to recent a¶ductions and the growing in$ecurity across the country.
“This is not just about the north. We have seen a¶ductions in Kwara and Ogun States over the weekend. Destruction of institutions and the loss of public trust make people lose hope in government.
“If people do not believe the judiciary will deliver justice, or that the police will protect lives, they must act. If the military leaves and t©rrorists immediately ki¶nap and kpai, people will have to defend themselves. At some point, the people will have to take a stand.
“The idea of governance and social contract is that we’re giving up our rights so that you can provide certain services and protect lives and services. And if the government is failing to meet up with their side of the contract, then people must start to take matters into their own hands.
“People did not wait for the government to buy generators when they did not provide electricity. They didn’t wait to start drilling boreholes when the government didn’t provide water.”
Rhodes-Vivour further argued that the government’s inability to guarantee security has left citizens exposed, saying the situation now raises questions about alternatives available to Nigerians.
“I’m talking about this situation now because of the failure of the government that we found ourselves in, and in this failure, if the government cannot sit up, then they should start considering licensing fir©arms.
“Because you have to ask yourself: if this government is withdrawing protection from the people even before ter$orists strike, will they then license firea√ms?”
