The governors of the six Southwest states vowed to set aside their political affiliations to face the security problems facing their area.
Five of the governors were elected on the All Progressive Congress (APC) platform, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elected Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The five governors of the APC include Ondo’s Rotimi Akeredolu, Lagos ‘ Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ekiti’s Kayode Fayemi, Ogun’s Dapo Abiodun, and Osun’s Gboyega Oyetola.
At a security summit, they rendered this commitment in distinct comments, titled: “Stakeholders’ Security Summit: Focus on Western Nigeria” held on Tuesday in Ibadan, the capital of the Oyo State.
The summit was organized by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, which is an organ of the six states set up to achieve their socio-economic inclusion aspiration.
The six governors, security chiefs, traditional rulers, thought leaders, and prominent regional organizations attended the event.
The summit was officially declared open by Mr Akeredolu, the chairman of the Western Nigeria Governors Forum. He said the rulers would make no sacrifice too much to safeguard their people.
He said the governors had chosen to set aside their party affiliations to address the region’s security problems.
“This meeting has become exigent considering the spate of insecurity in the country. The anxiety of our people is palpable. The growing fear among the populace makes nonsense of any plans conceived for the development of our God-given space.
“It is my fervent hope that this engagement will not be limited to the current challenge which threatens to wreck our collective peace. I look forward to future interactions on matters as important and affective as this one which compels this assembly.
“There is no gainsaying the obvious; the issue of socio-economic integration in the region must be taken seriously for any aspiration towards development to be meaningful. No remarkable progress can be achieved amidst chaos. No State in the Region can achieve greatness in isolation.
“Partisan coloration should not delimit the extent of collaboration aimed at maximum service for our people. With shared yearnings for the development of the region, there should be no difficulty in agreeing to provide the best services possible in the interest of our people.
“There should be no disagreement in aspiration for service, if altruism is the focus. Our seeming difference, considering political platforms, should not stand in the way of commitment to promote the collective well-being of our people.
“Convinced of our shared heritage, propelled by the desire to proceed on the enviable tradition of excellence for which our ancestors are reputed, we cannot harbour any extraneous preferences to this inherited and established course of development,” the Ondo governor said.
Mr Akeredolu also produced regional security recommendations.
These include adequate coordination of the operations of all official and informal security organizations, free flow of crime data from members of the public, setting up a toll-free line for reporting crime in states across the region, and joint border patrols with neighboring states.
The host governor, Mr Makinde of Oyo, said in his welcome address that the main function of the governors is to guarantee that all those living in the region are secured.
“As governors, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone in our midst, indigene or alien residents is assured of security of their life and property. We also known that there are barriers preventing us from carrying out this constitutional responsibility to the fullest measure.”
For his portion, Mr Fayemi said drones had been deployed to address some of the region’s safety issues.
In their addresses, Messrs Sanwo-Olu, Abiodun, and Oyetola said the security problem was the subject of the region’s governors ‘ discussion.
They said the governors had chosen to work together to address the region’s safety problems.
