Speeches

2nd Town Hall Meeting On Security And Re-Launch Of The Lagos State Security Trust Fund

Aug 4, 2008 - I am honoured to receive you all here today for the second Town Hall Meeting on Security or what I might more pragmatically call the Re-Launch of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. Looking around the room, I am almost intimidated by the sheer breadth and depth of entrepreneurial talent, capacity and creativity represented here. I am also extremely proud to be Governor of a State that has such a vast storehouse of the best human energy and capital on offer anywhere in Africa, nay the world.

That the challenges of governing this complex, country size state can at times appear daunting cannot but be an accepted reality, but our partnership with the private sector, unprecedented in the annals of governance in Nigeria, lifts our spirit, strengthens our hands and encourages us to carry on the battle to take Lagos State to the realm of true and sustainable minimum levels of human development for all our peoples, social class, financial situation, tribe, tongue, religion notwithstanding.

And what are these minimum levels, generally accepted by development economists and social engineers around the world: a reasonable level of security of lives and property; a predictable, responsive and trust worthy legal and judicial system that protects rights and sanctions wrongs; a decent and uplifting public transport system fit for all members of society; affordable and decent public health and education systems; a decent work and leisure friendly environment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to the extent humanly possible and taking cognizance of the extreme financial and administrative pressures of delivering such minimums, the above represents in its leanest form the vision of government that we have conceptualized and are vigorously pursuing.

Your presence here relates to the extremely fundamental aspect of security, which as we can clearly acknowledge, impacts on all the other facets of our governance vision and indeed on all other facets of our lives, particularly our business activities and the general quality of life.

As we all know and by now appreciate, beyond the usual challenges of security and law enforcement, Lagos faces peculiar security problems: its sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic driven immigration, its ports and waterways, its border with Benin Republic, the relative wealth of its citizens and concentration of banks, companies, industries, leisure places and other commercial enterprises makes it a natural honey pot for those of a criminal bent. And unfortunately, the Nigeria police and other security agencies although comprising of personnel of great individual ability and desire to serve are generally in a state of under funding and under equipping. Whether this is due to deliberate neglect or the scale of their needs is a moot point.

For those of you who attended the first Town Hall Meeting on Security, you would recall the dire situation we were in, in that post election period of 2007 compounded by years of under-funding of the security agencies, especially the police and the growing challenges of a more sophisticated and ruthless criminal community.

As I made plain to you then, the situation was truly desperate and something had to be done. We were willing to try something rather than giving you reasons for our inability to improve on things.

So rather than merely complain and offer excuses, we have instead, and in partnership with the private sector, decided to seek proactive partner-ship style solutions to those pressing problems that are not really ours to solve by constitutional mandate, but which challenge us all and we are compelled to address by the reality of the situation we find ourselves in. The establishment by a law of the State House of Assembly of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund was one of the solutions we came up with to address in a sustainable manner the resource-based issues of security, especially violent crimes such as armed robbery, and which was premised on the creation of a public-private synergy that is responsive and accountable.

Now that we have successfully established both the statutory, regulatory and administrative structures of the fund and have been able thereby to institutionalize our collective response to crime, it is, in my respectful view, time for a broader public response and deeper commitment to the sustainability of the fund. As I said at that event, my dream was to ensure that no Governor who comes after me will face the challenge of having to equip the Police in this State in such daunting circumstances. This is why we must help ourselves by continuing what we have started because we are all involved.

In the first instance, and as the audit and activity report of the Executive Secretary has shown, the main contributors in both cash and kind to the fund so far, including the Lagos State Government, have covered the gamut of Lagos commercial houses including banks, insurance companies, oil companies, communications companies and so on (please see the interim financial report) and these contributions have enabled the Fund to function so far. Donations were tied to specific requests and analysis of security needs presented at the inaugural Town Hall Meeting and these donations went a long way in meeting the needs of the first line of public defence against the criminals, and we have been able to restore a large measure of public confidence in the ability of government to secure lives and property; but as you know, the business of maintaining security platforms is never ending, ever diverse and involves a continuous infusion of funds, funds, funds.

Crime is a business, and as our responses become more successful, so the members of the criminal fraternity have become more creative, thus forcing us to respond continuously to new and more deadly methods. And the constantly growing size, complexity and dynamic nature of our state means that the challenges of security are never ending. However, the contributors so far represent less than one twentieth of large and medium commercial outfits in Lagos which means that less than one twentieth of their number has been carrying the weight of nineteen twentieths, and yet virtually everyone has benefited from the improved security, especially the impact of the extremely visible and deterrent capable RRS which has been the critical, though by no means only, focus of the Fund’s activities.

This is why, ladies and Gentlemen, we have, for this second Town Hall Meeting on Security substantially broadened the invitation list to include those who are yet to express their corporate social responsibility by contributing to the fund: this includes those banks that are yet to donate; the telecomm companies yet to donate; the fast food companies and supermarkets along the high streets yet to donate; the boutiques and couture stores yet to donate; the breweries, bottlers and drinks manufacturers whose products are sold along the high streets, in bars and restaurants and musical shows and are thus beneficiaries of the improved security and are yet to donate; the market and professional associations; ordinary citizens, schools, colleges, universities, it is the responsibility of everyone to contribute their widow’s mite, no mater how small.

The demands of security and law enforcement agencies on our resources is a never ending one, for instance for things as basic as replacement of the old generators for the Police stations to keep batteries of walkie talkies and other communication facilities active, raingear for officers in the field, provision, maintenance and repair of vehicles and communications equipment to ensure a minimum complement of operational capacity, provision of ballistic pin down points of the type you see along the Third Mainland Bridge, allowances and medical bills for officers, support for the joint patrols and the newly established mobile police squadron now quartered at Akodo on the Lekki-Epe Axis, body armour, bullet proof patrol vehicle, provision of walkie-talkies and mobile communication units, provision of infra red night vision cameras and so on.

The Inspector general of Police has also approved the formation of a new Mobile Police squadron to cover the Lekki-Epe axis and the state has the honour of housing them and providing them vehicular and other logistics. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the realities on the ground and if we are to achieve that critical measure of irreducible minimum security standards to our mutual benefit and improved investment environment and quality of life, we have to do this together and on a continuous basis.

The above are the basic inputs into the minimum security complement for the main metropolitan areas of the state but they do not, by themselves satisfy the kind of security environment we need to create. There are in addition issues of CCTV cameras, illumination of the streets and city black-spots, marine patrol of our vulnerable water ways, air patrol and support, protection of public infrastructure such as our BRT system, school premises and expansion of existing telecommunications infrastructure with back-up, better designed and equipped police stations and Area Commands.

These are our primary goals and with your support I know we can reach them. Already, Lagos State is adjudged as the standard in public-private partnership security solutions, but we cannot afford to and must not become complacent. I must also state that it must not be mistakenly perceived that only corporate organizations should donate to the fund. I am expecting donations from private citizens also. I must at this stage and in this regard recognize the presence of and acknowledge with gratitude the patriotic response of our respected special guest of honour, elder citizen and retiree, Alhaji Jimoh Adisa Gbadamosi who, immediately on hearing about the establishment of the Fund sent in a cheque for one hundred thousand naira. It is this kind of example that strengthens our belief in the essential goodness of human nature at a time when growing cynicism has become the order of the day.

We remain committed to our vision to provide a brighter and rewarding future in Africa’s model Mega City. We do not accept that any difficulties are insurmountable, we see opportunities where others are looking at challenges and we ask you to join us on this journey of great expectations to deliver a safer Lagos that will be the pride and favoured destination of Africa.

BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, SAN
GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE