Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has stressed the need for a collaborative approach by citizens to tackle security challenges.
The cooperation of all stakeholders, including security agencies, traditional rulers, community and religious leaders and citizens, is urgently needed to overcome the hydra-headed situations, the governor said yesterday.
He added that he has been in constant touch with his counterparts in the neighboring states of Ondo, Osun, Kogi and Kwara to secure boundary towns and villages.
Fayemi spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while opening a three-day Federal and States’ Security Administrators’ Meeting (FSSAM) at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office.
The governor, who spoke through his deputy, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, warned that the security challenges should not be politicized but must be frontally tackled in collaboration with all stakeholders.
He noted that the appropriateness and timing of the meeting cannot be over-emphasized because it was convened at a time the country is grappling with various forms of insecurity.
Fayemi stressed that security of lives and property is crucial to socio-economic development which explained why his administration has taken proactive measures to curtail emerging security challenges.
Some of the measures, according to him, include, donation of two units of Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicles to the state police command, monthly financial assistance to the security agencies in the state and regular meeting of the state security council.
Others are the inclusion of the informal security outfits in the state’s security architecture, enlistment of the support of traditional rulers in the maintenance of lives and property in their domains and security awareness campaign on electronic media.
The rest are the establishment of the State Security Trust Fund to enable sustainable funding of crime prevention interventions, creation of an anti-crime outfit code-named ‘Operation Keep Ekiti Safe’, resuscitation of Peace Corps and security tracking system jettisoned by the immediate past administration.
Fayemi said: “The current security challenges in the country should not be politicized as the proliferation and possession of unlawful firearms call for increased security measures.
“And with what we are seeing now, it has become imperative to seek the cooperation of all security agencies, community and traditional leaders and other stakeholders for a safe and secure business climate
“We are quite aware that there might be an incursion of criminals from outside the state. Therefore, I have started contacting my counterparts in the neighboring states with a view to synergising for more protection of lives and property along the boundary towns and villages.”
The governor added that hosting of the meeting was a demonstration of his administration’s interest in the security of the people, expressing the belief that decisions reached would enrich the business of maintenance of law and order.
FSSAM Chairman Dr. Amina Shamaki hailed the Ekiti State government for hosting the parley aimed at developing workable solutions to security problems confronting the country.
Mrs. Shamaki, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the Federal Government is concerned about the security challenges in some parts of the country and working hard to tackle them.
According to her, the government is concerned about the incessant farmers-herders clashes, saying part of the strategies to find a solution is the engagement of all stakeholders.
The meeting, which will end on Saturday, was also attended by the Police Commissioner Asuquo Amba; Director, Department of State Services; commandant, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Solomon Iyamu; Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps; Comptroller, Nigerian Immigration Services among others.
The Nation
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