06 — The Security of All Is the Responsibility of All: How Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi Initiated & Mobilised Ijesa Stakeholders for Collective Security

From Early Warning to Coordinated Action: Strengthening Community Vigilance Across Ijesaland

The security of a community depends not only on the capacity of its formal security institutions, but also on the willingness of its leaders, residents and traditional institutions to recognise emerging threats and work together to prevent them.

Effective community leadership requires the foresight to identify potential dangers, the courage to raise concerns and the ability to bring the right people together before a situation deteriorates.

In September 2021, Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi, the first Asiwaju of Ijesaland, demonstrated this approach by mobilising traditional rulers, government representatives, security agencies and community stakeholders to address growing security concerns affecting parts of Ijesaland.

The intervention became one of the milestones in his decade of service, reflecting a fundamental principle of community protection: the safety of lives and property is a shared responsibility that requires vigilance, collaboration and clearly defined action.

Recognising the Warning Signs

In 2021, concerns emerged about security conditions around Idominasi in Obokun Local Government Area and other strategic entry points into Ijesaland.

Against the backdrop of wider security challenges across Nigeria, Fasuyi expressed concern about developments that could expose communities to greater risks if left unaddressed.

Rather than treating the situation as an isolated local matter, he considered its possible implications for the wider Ijesa community.

His response reflected the importance of early intervention. Waiting until a security concern becomes a major crisis can make prevention more difficult and increase the potential consequences for residents, businesses and community institutions.

Fasuyi therefore called on traditional rulers, political leaders, parents, youth organisations, community associations and individual residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with the appropriate security authorities through responsible information sharing.

The message was not to encourage panic, suspicion or vigilantism. It was to promote awareness, timely reporting and cooperation with institutions legally responsible for protecting lives and property.

The principle was simple: communities are better positioned to respond to emerging risks when warning signs are taken seriously and concerns are communicated through appropriate channels.

From Concern to Convening: The Ibokun Security Meeting

On 13 September 2021, Fasuyi convened a strategic security stakeholders’ meeting at Ibokun, the headquarters of Obokun Local Government Area.

The meeting was held under the theme:

“A Call for Collective Vigilance and Communal Security in Ijesaland.”

Participants included traditional rulers in Obokun, the Local Government Chairman, representatives of security agencies and other stakeholders whose responsibilities and local knowledge were relevant to the concerns under discussion.

The engagement was subsequently extended to leading chiefs from Idominasi, the community at the centre of the immediate concerns.

This broad participation was important because community security cannot be addressed effectively by one institution acting alone. Traditional rulers provide community leadership and local legitimacy; residents understand the circumstances within their neighbourhoods; local government has administrative responsibilities; and security agencies possess the authority and professional capacity to investigate threats and enforce the law.

Fasuyi’s contribution was to create a platform where these different responsibilities could be discussed together and directed towards a common objective.

The meeting represented a shift from expressing concern to organising a coordinated response.

Turning Discussion into Defined Responsibilities

A significant feature of the intervention was the emphasis on practical follow-through.

According to the published account, responsibilities were assigned among traditional rulers, the Local Government, security agencies, community representatives and the Idominasi community. Participants were expected to carry out their respective undertakings within an agreed timeframe.

This approach recognised a common challenge in community problem-solving: meetings may generate concern and goodwill, but their value depends on what participants subsequently do.

By encouraging stakeholders to understand their respective responsibilities, the initiative sought to turn a general call for vigilance into a more organised framework for cooperation.

Fasuyi subsequently reported that the outcomes of the engagement were considered adequate to address the concerns that had prompted the intervention. He also commended the traditional rulers for their collective resolve to support the implementation of the agreed strategies.

The process highlighted an important principle of leadership: convening stakeholders is only the beginning. Effective coordination also requires agreement on responsibilities, commitment to implementation and continued attention to the issue being addressed.

The Philosophy: Security Is Everyone’s Responsibility

At the heart of the initiative was Fasuyi’s belief that community security should not be treated as the exclusive responsibility of government or security agencies.

He expressed this philosophy in a concise statement:

“The Security of All, is the Responsibility of All.”

The principle calls for a responsible partnership between citizens and the institutions charged with protecting them.

Residents can contribute by remaining observant, reporting credible concerns through appropriate channels, sharing relevant information responsibly and cooperating with lawful security operations. Traditional and community leaders can help communicate accurate information, discourage harmful rumours and encourage peaceful cooperation. Government and security agencies must continue to fulfil their official duties and respond appropriately to credible reports.

Collective responsibility does not mean that residents should take the law into their own hands. Nor does it remove the obligations of public authorities. Rather, it recognises that public safety is strengthened when communities and security institutions work together within their respective roles.

This balance is essential to building trust, reducing preventable risks and creating an environment in which people can go about their daily lives with greater confidence.

Leadership by Example: Taking Initiative Rather Than Waiting

One of the defining features of the 2021 intervention was that Fasuyi moved beyond public expressions of concern and took steps to bring relevant stakeholders together.

His approach demonstrated a form of leadership rooted in initiative: recognising a problem affecting the community and helping organise a platform through which those capable of addressing it could work towards a response.

The meeting did not replace the responsibilities of government or security agencies. Instead, it sought to strengthen coordination among institutions and community representatives.

This distinction matters. Community leaders can make a valuable contribution by helping identify issues, facilitating dialogue and encouraging cooperation, while formal security institutions retain responsibility for investigation, enforcement and the protection of the public.

The intervention illustrated how leadership can support these functions by helping stakeholders move from concern to coordination and from coordination to action.

Vision: Acting Before a Threat Escalates

The initiative also reflected the importance of preventive thinking.

Effective security management involves more than responding to incidents after they occur. It includes recognising warning signs, assessing risks, strengthening communication and ensuring that relevant institutions are prepared to act.

By raising concerns and convening a meeting in September 2021, Fasuyi sought to encourage action before the situation could deteriorate.

The approach placed emphasis on preparedness and the importance of considering the wider implications of local security concerns.

It also reinforced the value of listening to communities. People who live and work in an area often possess useful local knowledge, but that knowledge becomes most valuable when credible information is communicated responsibly and assessed by the appropriate authorities.

The broader lesson is that prevention depends on vigilance, communication and the willingness to act on legitimate concerns in a timely manner.

Collaboration: Bringing Ijesaland’s Institutions Together

The security intervention reflected a wider feature of Fasuyi’s community-development approach: the belief that complex problems are more likely to be addressed when the relevant stakeholders share responsibility for finding solutions.

Traditional rulers, government representatives, security agencies and community leaders each brought different forms of authority, experience and knowledge to the discussion.

Their participation created an opportunity to align these contributions around a common goal.

The process also recognised that security concerns do not necessarily stop at the boundary of a single community or local government area. Cooperation and information sharing across communities can therefore be important to understanding risks and supporting an effective response.

By bringing stakeholders together, the initiative encouraged a broader security consciousness—one in which the wellbeing of an individual community was recognised as part of the shared interest of Ijesaland.

Accountability: Giving Collective Responsibility Practical Meaning

Collective responsibility is most effective when the people and institutions involved understand what is expected of them.

The reported assignment of roles and responsibilities at the Ibokun meeting reflected this principle. Rather than leaving participants with a general appeal for action, the engagement sought to establish specific undertakings among the institutions and communities involved.

Such arrangements can help improve coordination by clarifying expectations and making it easier to identify where follow-through is required.

Accountability in this context is not simply about assigning blame when something goes wrong. It is also about encouraging participants to honour commitments, communicate relevant information and contribute consistently to an agreed objective.

The intervention therefore offered a practical illustration of how leadership can help translate a shared concern into a more structured approach to community safety.

The Outcome: Greater Confidence Through Coordinated Action

According to the published account of the intervention, the collective action that followed the September 2021 meeting helped address the concerns that had prompted the mobilisation and contributed to improved security and confidence in the affected area and across Ijesaland.

The account presents the intervention as an example of how early engagement and coordinated action can help communities respond to emerging concerns before they become more serious.

Its significance lies not only in the reported outcome, but also in the process: concerns were raised, stakeholders were convened, community representatives were included, responsibilities were assigned and participants were encouraged to work together.

Security outcomes depend on many factors and cannot reasonably be attributed to a single individual or meeting. The intervention is therefore best understood as a contribution to a wider collective effort involving traditional institutions, government, security agencies and residents.

The experience nevertheless reinforces the importance of proactive leadership and organised community participation in supporting the protection of lives and property.

Five Leadership Principles Reflected in the Intervention

The September 2021 initiative illustrates several principles relevant to Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi’s decade of service.

Leadership by example: He took the initiative to convene stakeholders rather than limiting his response to public criticism or expressions of concern.

Vision and foresight: He encouraged early attention to emerging risks before they could escalate into a more serious crisis.

Collaboration: The engagement brought traditional rulers, government representatives, security agencies and community leaders into a shared discussion.

Accountability: Participants were assigned responsibilities intended to support the implementation of agreed strategies.

Community ownership: The initiative promoted the idea that residents and community institutions have a constructive role to play in supporting public safety, alongside the formal responsibilities of government and security agencies.

Together, these principles show how community leadership can contribute to public safety without replacing the institutions mandated to provide it.

A Milestone in Ten Years of Service to Ijesaland

The 2021 security intervention occupies an important place in the account of Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi’s decade of stewardship as the first Asiwaju of Ijesaland.

It demonstrated a willingness to address a concern affecting the community by bringing together the people and institutions best positioned to contribute to a solution.

The initiative also reflected the value of treating security as a shared interest rather than an isolated responsibility. By encouraging vigilance, dialogue, defined roles and cooperation, the meeting sought to strengthen the relationship between community leadership and formal security institutions.

Its enduring lesson is relevant beyond the immediate circumstances of 2021: public safety is strengthened when warning signs are taken seriously, information is shared responsibly, institutions cooperate and citizens contribute constructively to the protection of their communities.

For Ijesaland, the principle remains both simple and important:

The security of all is the responsibility of all.

It is a call for vigilance without panic, cooperation without vigilantism and leadership that turns legitimate concern into responsible collective action.