Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, says his administration will support effort that would bring sustained security to the southwest states of the country.
Governor Abiodun who stated this in Ibadan at the Stakeholders’ Security Summit noted that, economic development would not be possible in an unsecured environment, saying, incessant robbery attacks, kidnapping, cultism and other forms of violence in the region was unacceptable.
He said the State Government was working with the private sector to procure modern crime fighting equipment to security agencies, for optimal performance, while a platform that would register unemployed youths, with a view to engaging them positively, has been created.
Governor Abiodun attributed the scourge of insecurity, especially in the southwest region to poor border surveillance, which allows for influx of aliens, reiterating his administration’s support for the establishment of state Police, to deal with peculiarities of each state.
In his address, the Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, lamented that though the efforts on insurgency in the North East was yielding results, the issue of herdsmen was gradually moving down to the Southern part of the country, a situation he described, as dangerous.
He said insecurity was assuming a frightening dimension in the region, as people now live in fear of losing their lives or property, adding that the summit was convened to find workable solutions to the problems.
Also speaking, the Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said it was the responsibility of government to provide security for the people, cautioning that the current security challenges facing the country should not be attributed to a particular ethnic group, but all hands should be on deck to address them.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo- Olu, on his part, said insecurity is in the front burner in national discuss, opining that the strengthening of the judicial system for quick dispensation of justice would go a long way, at curbing insecurity; while his Osun State counterpart, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, advocated for a collaborative efforts by the Southwest Governors to secure the region.
