The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, advised against the politicization of the country’s security condition, stating that only through cooperation were solutions feasible.
He also denounced the country’s proliferation and illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.
He said it was necessary to take action to check the threat.
“The current security challenges in the country should not be politicised as the proliferation and possession of unlawful firearms call for increased security measures,” Mr Fayemi said.
The Governor spoke in Ado Ekiti on Thursday at the opening of a three-day meeting of Federal and State Security Administrators (FSSAM) at the Governor’s Conference Hall.
Mr Fayemi, who was represented by his deputy, Bisi Egbeyemi, said that to tackle insecurity effectively, a cooperative strategy was urgently required by all segments of the Nigerian population.
The governor said it was essential to resolve insecurity and all types of crime that all security organizations, traditional rulers, community and religious leaders and all people must cooperate.
Mr Fayemi said life and property security was critical to socio-economic development, explaining why his administration took proactive steps to curb emerging security challenges.
According to him, some of the measures include: donation to the state police command of two units of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicles ; monthly economic assistance to state security authorities and State Security Council periodic meetings.
Others include casual security outfits in the state’s security architecture ; enlisting traditional rulers ‘ assistance in the maintenance of life and assets in their fields ; and digital media safety awareness campaign.
He also listed the establishment of the State Security Trust Fund to allow sustainable crime prevention measures to be financed ; the development of an anti-crime outfit code called ‘ Operation Keep Ekiti Safe ; the revival of the Peace Corps and the revival of the Security Tracking System discarded by the previous administration.
FSSAM Chairman Amina Shamaki, who is also Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Federal Government Secretary’s Office, said the federal government is worried about the security problems and is working hard to address them.
She said the unending conflicts between farmers and herders were worrying. She said that the involvement of all stakeholders is component of the approaches to find alternatives.
Mrs Shamaki also urged Nigerians “not to be careless about the predictions of the Nigerian Meteorology Agency (NIMET) on the pattern of rainfall because of its implication on security”.
Police, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Prison Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, among others, are attending the conference, which ends on Saturday.
