The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has said that no meaningful socio-economic development can take place in any society without security of lives and property.
The governor disclosed this onFriday at the Memorial Arcade Ground in Abeokuta, the state capital, during the commissioning of Armoured Personnel Carriers and security vans purchased by the state government to improve safety of lives and property of the people of the state.
Amosun said: “The people of any community can only blossom in their day to day activities in an atmosphere that is safe and secure.”
He promised that his administration would make Ogun State secure for residents and investors.
He said the APCs were of the very latest technology and “Ogun State was the first to bring in this new technology into fighting crime in Nigeria. This will also enhance protection of lives of our security personnel.”
He stated that with the provision of 125 security patrol vans fitted with modern telecommunication equipment, “the Joint Police/Military Task Force code named ‘Quick Response Squad’, and ‘OPERATION MESA’ can now effectively take off.”
The governor noted the connection between unemployment and crime, adding that his government was doing everything possible to fight the monster of unemployment by providing an enabling environment for productive engagement of youths.
He added that the ongoing justice sector reform in the state would also assist in the quick dispensation of justice.
Amosun thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for giving approval for the deployment of another mobile police squadron to the state and the special support given to Ogun State by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and security agencies.
He called on individuals and organisations to donate generously to the state’s Security Trust Fund.
He said the state had expended about N4 billion on security and had not spent a kobo from the Security Trust Fund.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, commended the efforts of the Amosun-led administration to safeguard lives and property.
He noted that it was the first time in the history of Nigeria that such a scale of investment was made in security and called on local and foreign investors to take advantage of the new and peaceful atmosphere in the state.
Abubakar commissioned the new APCs with a charge on security personnel to operate within the ambit of the law and respond to distress calls with speed and efficiency.