.Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN),onThursday stressed the need for all governments to commit to the protection of life and property of citizens saying they must, at all times, provide the necessary funding that it deserves.
Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Nigerian Police Marine Unit, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, while handing over two patrol vessels to the Navy, said although the security agencies have men and women of not only good character but impeccable abilities, there is need to provide for them the appropriate tools to do their work.
He reiterated his call for the decentralization of the Nigerian Police Force arguing that if a Federal and unitary Police model has been run in the country for almost 60 years without the desired result, the time has come to change the model.
“We need to look more closely at the structure of our security, especially Metropolitan and Municipal security. Can we, in all seriousness, continue to pursue a Federal and unitary police model for almost 60 years if it is not giving us the desired results? Are we too scared to embrace change? If we do the same thing for a long time and it is not giving us the result that we desire, we should ask ourselves what type of people we are”, the Governor said.
Governor Fashola declared that the security of the nation would be better enhanced if the Police Force is decentralized. “I think the idea of a decentralized Police Force run by component federating units in this country is an idea whose time has come”, he noted.
“It is no longer a question of if; it is a question of when and I think as we approach the Constitutional Amendment exercise, the question of when will be answered”, the Governor said.
While justifying the intervention of the State Government in security of the waterways, he said although the State could not run the police, but it can fund officers of the national government posted to its territory adding, “The prosperity of each state is the prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Thanking the immediate past Commander of NNS Beecroft to whom he credited the idea of providing the patrol vessels to the Navy, Governor Fashola, who described crime as a global phenomenon, said the handing over event was to demonstrate that Government not only cares but will always respond to the security needs of the people.
“How far we go will depend on how you citizens continue to identify with your government; continue to keep the law; continue to play your role”, the Governor said adding; “At the heart of any democratic government is a social contract. You have responsibilities in the way you have rights. Government also has responsibilities in the way it has expectations of you”.
In his remarks, earlier, the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Commodore Martins Njoku, who represented the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, thanked Governor Fashola for donating the patrol boats saying the gesture could not have come at a more appropriate time than now when the Navy needed appropriate facilities to secure the nation’s waterways.
Also in his remarks, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Umar Abubakar Manko, expressed gratitude to the Governor for the facilities he has provided to ease the work of the Police in the State saying with such equipment at its disposal, the Police in the State has no reason to fail.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the State’s Security Trust Fund, Mr. Arthur Worrey, said one of the philosophies guiding the Lagos State Government and the Trust Fund’s involvement in security was that “It is not just procurement but a response to articulated needs exercise”.
According to the Executive Secretary, the Patrol boat –The Croq 450 VGT -, is a powerful vessel ideal for patrol on coastal waters. The vessel, which runs on diesel, with a tank capacity of 1,500 litres, is powered by 450 diesel engines that ensures that it can attain a speed of up to 45 knots.
With multiple firing positions, the Croq, according to him, is good in low and coastal waters and can be adapted to a fully tactical platform for night operations while its unique foldable quick release mechanism for sitting/bed stretchers makes it ideal for patrol on inland waterways.
Other features of the Croq include the fact that it is armoured and fitted with gun mounts as well as multi- ammunition capabilities for defensive manoeuvres while the interior is designed for multi-task operations. It also has a state-of-the-art air-conditioning system, toilets and a galley while it accommodates six sleepers and accommodates up to 15 passengers.
Also present at the event were Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructural Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru, Vice Chairman of the State Security Trust Fund, DIG Kazeem (rtd), foremost industrialist and Chairman of CFAO, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson, among other top government functionaries. http://www.cityflavourmagazine.com/?p=11647[img] http://i49.tinypic.com/vsgapv.jpg[/img] [IMG] http://i49.tinypic.com/30hssxf.jpg[/IMG] [IMG] http://i45.tinypic.com/313m3q1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG] http://i46.tinypic.com/21f06f8.jpg[/IMG] |
