Aircraft or Drones? What Critics of Oyo's Surveillance Investment Get Wrong
- Oludare Ogunlana
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Days after Oyo State received two Diamond DA42 MNG surveillance aircraft, a familiar debate erupted. In an interview with BBC Yoruba, Akin Adeyi, a security commentator and former Department of State Services operative, dismissed the ₦7.76 billion acquisition. He argued the aircraft can only photograph criminals from the air, that drones could do the job cheaply, and that the planes will end up as air taxis like the helicopter Osun State once purchased.
Mr. Adeyi raises questions worth answering. However, his conclusions rest on misunderstandings that deserve correction, because public confidence in security investments matters.
This Is Not a Private Plane
The heart of the critique is the Osun comparison. Osun bought a civilian transport helicopter, discovered it had no security value, and watched it drift into charter service. That story is true and a real cautionary tale.
Nevertheless, the comparison fails here. The DA42 MNG is neither a private plane nor a repurposed executive aircraft. It is a purpose-built Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance platform used by militaries and border agencies in over a dozen countries. It carries stabilized electro-optical and infrared sensor turrets and mission systems that most commercial drones in our market cannot lift. Moreover, it offers longer endurance and greater range than the drone classes available to subnational governments, and it is supported within a Nigerian Air Force ecosystem rather than a charter market.
"Criticizing a surveillance aircraft for only gathering intelligence is like criticizing a microscope for only magnifying. That is precisely its job."
ISR platforms do not arrest kidnappers. They find them, track them, and guide the forces that do. The failure mode in Nigerian security is rarely too much intelligence. It is too little, arriving too late.
Drones and Aircraft Are Layers, Not Rivals
Should Oyo also acquire drones? Absolutely. Drones and manned ISR are not rivals. They are layers in one architecture:
Aircraft provide wide-area coverage, long endurance, and heavy sensors across Oyo's 28,000 square kilometers, forest corridors, and the Benin Republic border.
Drones provide persistent point surveillance over specific flashpoints at lower cost per flight hour.
I would support Oyo adding a UAV fleet next. Furthermore, the claim that only riverine states like Bayelsa need aircraft inverts the logic. Aerial surveillance value scales with landmass and difficult terrain, which is exactly Oyo's profile.
Yes to Security Education, But From the Right Teachers
Mr. Adeyi is correct on one point: governors need security education. However, the source of that education matters as much as the education itself. Governor Makinde should draw counsel from pure, unbiased security professionals and deep thinkers who can balance their analysis, professionals who understand modern security in the era of artificial intelligence, data fusion, and advanced technology. Politically motivated commentary, or doctrine from an older era of security practice, cannot design the architecture this moment demands. Twenty-first-century threats require twenty-first-century advisers.
"Governor Makinde should be commended, not condemned. Every governor holds a security vote. Let them spend it this transparently."
A Challenge to Other Governors
Governor Makinde deserves commendation for acting while others merely lament. Every Nigerian governor receives a security vote. Governors, especially in the North, where banditry is deadliest, should emulate Oyo: invest security votes in visible, auditable capabilities that complement the Federal Government's efforts.
OSRS advises governments on ISR integration, fusion center design, modern security education, and sustainment planning. Visit www.ogunsecurity.com to begin the conversation.
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About the Author
Dr. Oludare Ogunlana is the Founder and CEO of OGUN Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC (OSRS), a Professor of Cybersecurity, and a national security scholar who advises global intelligence and policy bodies on African security, intelligence architecture, and AI governance.