According to the governor , the money was used to procure vehicles (180), motorbikes (200), Armoured Personnel Carriers (8), water cannons (2), cellular communication devices, Level IV bulletproof vests, ballistic helmets, and other items, and with the active support of the private sector.
Sanwo-Olu spoke yesterday at the 15th security town hall meeting organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) with the theme ‘Reconceptualising Safety and Security in Lagos State’.
The governor noted that despite challenges which confronted the state, ranging from COVID-19, cultism, street gangs, traffic robberies, kidnapping, land-grabbing, etc, the state has emerged triumphant.
He said: “At the Town Hall Meeting a year ago, I assured you of the resilience of the people and government of Lagos State; our capacity to rise above the unprecedented disruption confronting us. Today, one year on, we have made good on our promise to emerge triumphant. We are now, I am pleased to note, firmly on the journey of rebuilding and restoration.
“Our gathering today is another indication that we are pressing ahead with the Lagos State Security Trust Fund’s vision of ‘making Lagos the safest, most secure and most prosperous commercial nerve center in Africa’. Our theme clearly acknowledges that we are reviewing our strategies and approaches to ensure we achieve our goal.
“This year, the gvernment, and the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, with the active support of the private sector, procured and deployed the following security assets for the use of the Nigeria Police Force: Vehicles (180), motorbikes (200), Armoured Personnel Carriers (8), Water cannons (2), cellular communication devices, Level IV bulletproof vests, ballistic helmets, and other items, worth over N3 billion. We had the privilege of having President Muhammadu Buhari commission these assets on June 10 at the Police College grounds in Ikeja.
“In addition to those physical assets, our interventions have included daily fueling of security vehicles and boats, continuous training of security personnel, and routine maintenance and repairs.
“We will continue to train and retrain all enforcement agents of the Lagos State government, while also supporting the federal security agencies to improve their effectiveness. We have continued to foster engagements with the various security agencies in the state, demanding that they work together to dislodge criminal elements from our state. These engagements have yielded results as we have developed a mechanism in which every agency works in synergy with others to improve the state’s security architecture.
“We are currently restructuring the 112 and 767 Emergency Call Centre to enable it deliver on its mandate, and earn the people’s confidence. In line with our vision of a 21st-century Megacity, we will deliver a Call Center that is truly responsive. On a related note, we are also progressing on our goal of installing a network of internet-enabled security surveillance cameras across the metropolis.
“Ultimately, the most important contribution we can make to security is what we do to prevent it from being disrupted in the first place. Nowhere is the maxim of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’ truer than when it comes to security; it is much easier and less expensive to prevent crime and criminality in the first place than to try tackle it when it has taken root.
“Therefore, our focus in Lagos State is on programs, policies and projects targeted at social-economic development: the creation of jobs, economic opportunities and prosperity, and the sustenance of hope in the hearts and lives of our people. As you all know, despair is one of the greatest existing threats to peace and security. There is no limit to what people can do when they have lost hope about tomorrow.
“We are delivering on all our promises, across all the pillars of our THEMES governing agenda. From transportation to health to environment to education and technology, modernization, entertainment and tourism, and to security; we have left no one in doubt as to the depth of our commitment to the emergence of a Greater Lagos.
“There is however much more to be done. We need more donors, and more contributions. I am making a special appeal to the private sector and to citizens and other stakeholders in Lagos State, to add your name to the donors’ list of the LSSTF. And to our existing donors, I believe there is room for more support.”
Chief Executive Officer of the LSSTF Abdurrazaq Balogun noted N3 million is needed to fully and properly kit a police officer. He also said that about 70 per cent of equipment and logistics used by most security agencies, especially the Police, RRS and OP MESA (Army, Navy, and Air Force) were provided through the fund.
Balogun, however, lamented that challenges abound which limit the agency from carrying out its statutory responsibilities.
He added: “There is donor fatigue considering that only a few organisations are carrying the weight of providing critical equipment, training and logistics for the police and other agencies.
“The high cost of equipment required for security is a big issue, especially for the technology-relates equipment such as food quality drones, CCTV cameras, trackers, etc.
“Our security agencies require advanced training, more equipment that would support an intelligence-led approach to crime prevention (drones, trackers, scanners at city gates, gunshot detection devices), more non-lethal weaponry. To fully kit one policeman with uniform, taser, tactical gear (light, knife, jacket, belt, gloves, shoulder, ankle, and boots), bulletproof vest, ballistic helmet, tear gas, push-to-talk on cellular communication equipment, rain gear, etc, will cost at least N3 million. Hence to kit 33,000 police officers in Lagos will cost about N99 billion. This is our reality of we truly want a highly motivated and fully equipped police force in the state.”
