Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Why we overhauled Oyo’s security architecture, by Makinde

By Bertram Nwannekanma
12 August 2022   |   3:39 am
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has explained that his administration overhauled the security system he met in the state to guarantee the interests of all stakeholders.

[files] Makinde. Photo/facebook/OfficialSeyiMakinde

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has explained that his administration overhauled the security system he met in the state to guarantee the interests of all stakeholders.

  
The governor, who was speaking during the Hijrah 1444 luncheon, held at the frontage of the Presidential Lodge, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, said that security is a key aspect of his administration’s four-point service agenda.
 
According to him, the government will continue to protect the interest of all stakeholders in the state irrespective of their religious or ethnic affiliations.
  
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, in a statement, yesterday, quoted the governor as saying that his government will always give every interest their due.
    
He maintained that his administration has not only overhauled the security architecture of the state but it is also doing everything within its capacity to make the state safe and secure for every citizen.
   
The governor said that the Hijrah being celebrated in the state amounts to what he called “a turning point.”
He said that the turning point in the case of Oyo State was brought about by his victory in 2019. He also stated that his administration promised to be tolerant and avoid religious bias and that it will continue to give everybody what they deserve to get, adding that it will not deviate from such promises.
  
Makinde also admitted that as a human being, he can make mistakes, but that stakeholders should readily point out such mistakes for them to be corrected.
  
He said: “When this government came in, the security architecture we met on ground was different from the layers we have created. We rejigged the Police Swift Response Squad (SRS),  we provided 100 cars within 100 days in office for the Police. Another layer of security we came up with was Operation Burst, which is composed of Army, Airforce, Civil Defence, The Department of State Services (DSS) personnel. We provided logistics and all they needed to function effectively for them.

“Another layer of security we created is Amotekun. We have another layer of voluntary policing, but we are encountering some challenges in coming up with it. Vigilante people are working in Ibarapa zone of this state as I encountered them personally in my recent journey along the area. And I will continue to say that we cannot demonise any ethnic group in the state.”

   
Earlier,  the  Deputy Governor,  Chief Bayo Lawal, stated that the present government  is open to criticism. He enjoined stakeholders to always come up with relevant ideas that could move the state forward.
   
In their various remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Chief Bayo Oyero, Senator Monsurat Sumonu, Okeere of Saki Oba Khalid Olabisi, Alhaji Hammed Raji SAN and Alfa Oloore, commended Governor Seyi Makinde for his open door policy which they said accommodates the interest of Islam.
  
They, however, charged religious bodies in the state to always channel their grievances through appropriate quarters rather than expressing it on social media.

In this article

0 Comments