Ekiti state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, explained that the security of lives and property remained the bedrock of good governance and socio-economic development in any society.
The governor, who stated that his administration would continue to strengthen and improve the security architecture in the state, added that security is key to the attainment of the six pillars agenda and shared prosperity for the citizens.
Oyebanji spoke at the weekend while presenting two Armoured Personnel Carriers, ten operational Vehicles, and other security equipment and gadgets to the State Command of the Nigeria Police.
The donation included 50 units of Helmet level 3a, 50 bulletproof vests level 4, 80 pairs of tactical boots, and 80 pieces of batons.
He said the vehicles were meant to assist the activities of the command and boost the morale of its officers and men towards improving its operations and ensuring a safer and more peaceful environment in the state.
The Governor noted that the nation’s security challenges were enormous and urged the State Command to be proactive and engage more in intelligence-gathering and community policing rather than allowing criminals to perpetrate their heinous crimes before rising to the situation.
He said his administration would not only overhaul and rejig the state’s security architecture but would also do everything within its capacity to provide the necessary logistics and all they needed to function effectively and ensure that criminals were not allowed safe abode in the state.
According to Governor Oyebanji,“As we all know, the bedrock of good governance is peace and security, without which no development is possible. In the realization of this, we have paid a lot of attention to the security of lives and properties in the state. Aside from isolated cases of kidnapping incidences reported in recent times, the state has been relatively peaceful and remained one of the most secure states in the country.
“In spite of this exciting record of peaceful atmosphere, we recognized the enormous work that still needs to be done to enhance the security of lives and properties in the Nigeria state. We will, therefore, continue to evaluate the security situation of the state and respond accordingly, More than ever, we are committed to the welfare and increased capacity of the security agencies to respond to security challenges.
“It is in fulfilment of this commitment that we have procured this equipment with the aim of strengthening security architecture to be able to respond more assuredly to any security challenge within the state.”
Oyebanji said a similar gesture will be extended to other security outfits in the state, stressing that the presentation of vehicles was the first in a series of other plans to support and elevate the operations of security agencies in the state.
Responding, the Commissioner for Police in the State, Dare Ogundare, said the equipment would allow the police to respond effectively and promptly to distress calls by citizens to security situations.
The Police Chief also solicited government support in fixing various unserviceable vehicles owned by the Command that could be used further to support the force for adequate policing of the state.
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