The understanding of the current issue of insecurity as a global challenge will assist us to adopt the right measures to combat the menace appropriately. - @RotimiAkeredolu, SAN,
#OndoSecuritySummit

Protocol.
It gladdens my heart to see this distinguished audience attend this very important programme in the New Year. I join other appreciative citizens and our invited guests to express profound gratitude to the Almighty for sparing our lives to see this day. You will agree with me that the country is approaching yet another crucial moment in her political history. A time when all strategies and efforts must be harnessed to achieve a safe and peaceful environment has come upon us suddenly.
The general elections will be held in a couple of weeks from now. This Summit, therefore, could not have come at a better time. The challenges confronting the nation in the past years have been enormous. Specifically, the issue of security is becoming more complex, complicated and compounded by the very circumstances which define us as a country and our relentless quest for peace and progress. These problems appear daunting, threatening not only the tenuous harmonious relationship existing among the various ethnic groups, but also the very existence of the country.
Therefore, it has become incumbent on us to take proactive steps to confront these challenges. While we continue to hope for God’s guidance and protection, we must not fail to approach this delicate problem with all the seriousness it deserves. As we strive to work on the fundamental dysfunction, a reality of existence in our nation-state, consequent upon continual interactions among the various peoples of the country, attempts must be made to deepen our efforts in ensuring that all those saddled with the responsibilities to secure the country possess the requisite capacity to perform their duties appreciably.
Let me thank, specially, our invited guests for honouring our invitation to be part of this great event aimed at repositioning the security framework of our dear Sunshine State. There is no doubt that the outcome of this Summit will bear the unmistakable imprints of experience and benefaction. Our State awaits, eagerly, recommendations from this great gathering which, without doubt, will contribute, significantly, to the security of lives and property. It will also scale up our index on the Ease of Doing Business.


Insecurity has been a major challenge globally. There is hardly any Continent in the world without its own peculiar socio-economic issues. The African Continent grapples with serious challenges of existence which have had debilitating impact on the people’s development. Poverty, occasioned by incessant warfare, inclement climatic conditions, unproductive economies in a competitive and unfriendly ambience and, above all, visionless leadership, make the geo-political space occupy an unenviable position in global affairs. The combination of these factors has engendered insecurity. There is hardly any part of the Continent that is totally free of crises.
Nigeria, our dear country, has had her own share of this existential burden, a phenomenon usually associated with most transitional societies. Socio-economic crises have ensured that the country slips from one crisis to another. The deplorable situation often compels an uncritical and, most times, erroneous conclusion which suggests lack of capacity to appreciate the enormity of these challenges by the political leadership. The understanding of the current issue of insecurity as a global challenge will assist us to adopt the right measures to combat the menace appropriately.
Variants of this unfortunate phenomenon continue to mutate with a rather disquieting propensity in Nigeria. The proliferation of some militant groups shortly after the annulment of the June 12 Presidential elections in 1993 became accentuated with the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and his compatriots in 1995. The old practice of kidnapping citizens and foreigners alike, to demand justice for perceived wrongs, has metamorphosed into a more pernicious criminal venture. The militancy by some Niger Delta groups, the full scale war, erroneously dubbed insurgency, perpetrated by Boko Haram Militia and ISIL, kidnapping for financial gains and lately rituals, and more recently, the menace of marauding nomads, are sufficient to determine the corporate existence of the country. Every patriot should be concerned.
Unfortunately, our dear Ondo State, being an integral part of the country, has, inevitably, shared from the wave of insecurity. The strategic location of the State as a gateway to the North Central, South-South, South-West and South-East, coupled with her position as the State with the longest coastline, has facilitated the influx of criminal elements into Ondo State. We have been able to curtail the nefarious activities of these elements to a very great extent. The prompt and firm treatment meted to miscreants and hardened criminals deters effectively. We are hospitable, no doubt; but we view, gravely, deviant behaviours which threaten our collective peace.
As a Government, we are aware of the onerous responsibilities of leadership in this regard. We are committed, keenly, to maximum protection of lives and properties in the State. We possess sufficient understanding to appreciate that there can be no development without peace achieved through a sustainable programme of securing lives and property.
Our Administration is embarking on ambitious programme of massive infrastructural development to create an enabling environment which will transform Ondo State into an industrial hub. There exists also a huge potential of making our State a preferred tourist destination. We have also demonstrated, in practical terms, our intention to reclaim our place of pride in the field of agriculture. The indices of development in this sector are very encouraging. Our efforts to transform the coastal belt of the State, through the development of a Deep Sea Port, as well as the on-going road project from Lekki, Lagos State, across the costal belt to Igbokoda are all projected towards attracting capital and human inflow to the State.
It is, therefore, expedient that we put in place the necessary security architecture that would enhance all-round development of the State and protect the citizens and investors operating in the State. Today’s Summit, which has been aptly captured as "Improving the Security Architecture of Ondo State for Sustainable Peace and Development”, will generate robust discussions expected to herald the desired change in the security framework of the State. I have gone through the profiles of all the Resource Persons and I am convinced that the State is on the right track in her bid to re-position the Security architecture for greater achievements.
Government in the State has always been providing all it takes to ensure the security of lives and property. The current realities establish, clearly, the near-impossibility of total reliance on the Government to achieve this lofty objective. The provision of adequate security is capital intensive and, consequently, we need to involve all well-meaning individuals to ensure that the environment is free of crime.
It is not my wish to pre-empt the outcome of this Summit considering the array of experts assembled for the assignment. I am, however, quite confident that it will yield robust suggestions which, in turn, pave the path for solutions that envisages making our dear State a haven of peace and a dream destination for all investors. I, therefore, enjoin all participants to share their thoughts and experiences, freely. Our ultimate expectation lies in improved capacity and readiness to address, collectively, the challenges facing us in order to open up the economic space for industrial development.

While wishing you very fruitful deliberations, let me formally declare this Summit open to the Glory of God and for a better and safer Sunshine State.
I thank you for your patience.

What an innovation!! Structuring security in our State like never before. Well done Gallant Aketi