Press Releases

Fashola Receives Freed Journalists, Advocates Comprehensive Approach To Crime Fighting

Jul 26, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Monday identified the completion of the reforms to solve the problems in the power sector and a restructuring of the anomalous present federal structure in Nigeria to allow for the existence of State Police as necessities for checking crime.

Governor Fashola who spoke when he received the four journalists recently freed from kidnappers in Abia State while on their way back from an official engagement of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and members of the Executive Council of the State Chapter of the NUJ at the Lagos House, Ikeja added that the lighting of many streets at night is one of the major factors that could aid crime prevention, while improved electricity supply would also create a night economy and employment for the people.

Said he: "If there is constant power supply, artisans with entrepreneurial skills will flood the cities and rural areas, reduce incidence of criminal tendencies among the youths who would be kept busy and have money in their pockets to meet their demands."

The Governor explained that the need to allow States to have its own Police in existence is long overdue, noting that areas of coverage may be determined to include items like managing petty crimes which does not need the attention of the Federal Government Police.

He noted that it is very wrong for the States to always wait on the Federal Government to post policemen to it without taking due cognizance of its peculiarities.

He said the devolving of the sole responsibility of recruiting Policemen to the States would also enable the States to keep a sizeable number of personnel that it can maintain while ensuring that the Police maintained at the Federal level would be pre-occupied with fighting crime with major national security scope.

The Governor said that unless adequate and sophisticated equipment to confront crime are put at the disposal of the Nigeria Police, people cannot accuse the force of inefficiency.

The Lagos State Governor said part of the reasons responsible for the success story of the operation of Police and crime prevention in Lagos is the provision of welfare packages like insurance cover for the Policemen which affer protection for the family in the event of death or disability.

The Governor explained that the rate of criminal activities in Lagos State has reduced because hitherto unemployed youths are now meaningfully engaged in greening, landscaping, beautification or employed in the various construction sites.

Earlier, the Chairman, Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Alhaji Wahab Oba, expressed appreciation to the Governor and the members of the State Executive for the roles played during the kidnap saga.

He said the kidnappers were very unanimous in commending the works of Governor Fashola in Lagos.

In his words: "The kidnappers kept on saying that we are lucky that we are from Lagos where things work unlike what is happening in other states in the East. They also complained about good governance".

He urged the Governor to help convey the appreciation of the kidnap victims to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonanya Onovo for putting machineries in place which led to pressure on the kidnappers leading to their release.

The NUJ Chairman canvassed special security funds and provision of modern sophisticated equipment to the Police to be able to confront abductors and kidnappers whom he said had sophisticated weapons in their possession.

Oba added that he and his collegues have dedicated their lives to fighting kidnappers and that they have concluded plans to document their experience in a book form to assist security agencies in tracking such people down in the future.

Also on the entourage of the NUJ during the "Thank You Visit" were the Vice Chairman of the Council, Mr Deji Elumoye, and the freed journalists- the Zonal Secretary of NUJ, Mr. Adolphus Okonkwo, the Acting Secretary, Mr. Sylva Okereke, NUJ Member, Mr. Sola Oyeyipo while the State Deputy Governor, Princess Adebisi Sarah Sosan, the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele among other members of the Executive Council and top government functionaries joined the Governor in receiving the Journalists.