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The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has donated 50 ballistic helmets, 50 bulletproof vests and 100 raincoats to personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft as part of efforts to strengthen security operations in Lagos State.
The Executive Secretary of the LSSTF, Dr Ayodele Ogunsan, who made the donation during a visit to NNS Beecroft, said the intervention was aimed at boosting the morale of security personnel and addressing identified operational gaps within security agencies in the state.
He said the Trust Fund regularly visits security agencies across Lagos to assess their operational needs, encourage commanders and conduct on-site inspections to identify areas requiring intervention.
“It is a normal tradition for the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund to constantly visit all the security agencies in the state to see how they are doing, boost the morale of the officers, encourage the commanders and conduct on-site inspection to see areas of intervention,” he said.
According to him, the latest intervention included the provision of 50 ballistic helmets, 50 bulletproof vests and 100 raincoats, particularly in view of the current rainy season.
He added that the Trust Fund had also identified other areas requiring intervention and would soon invite stakeholders and the media for the commissioning and launch of additional projects.
Explaining the rationale behind the interventions, the Executive Secretary said the Trust Fund was established as an interventionist agency to identify and address gaps affecting the effectiveness of security agencies operating in Lagos.
He said the Fund was prepared to support all recognised security agencies operating in the state, particularly where there were obvious gaps in equipment and other operational requirements.
“That is our core mandate. That is our responsibility. We are established as an interventionist agency to address and fill all the gaps that we feel are there,” he said.
The Executive Secretary stressed that the interventions were not limited to the Nigerian Navy but extended across security agencies in the state.
He said the objective was to ensure that security agencies were adequately supported to discharge their responsibilities and ultimately enhance the safety of residents and protection of property.
He, however, said the support came with increased expectations from the benefiting security agencies, stressing that improved equipment and other interventions should translate into better security performance.
“To whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.
He said the interventions were particularly important as the state approaches what he described as a sensitive period, with elections expected to take place.
According to him, the Trust Fund is working to ensure that security agencies are adequately prepared to respond to emerging challenges and maintain a secure environment before, during and after the elections.
“The main important thing is security, safety of lives and property, especially now that we are approaching a very sensitive period, the elections,” he said.
“We are trying to be battle-ready so we can have a very hitch-free and seamless election programme,” he added.
The donation forms part of the LSSTF’s broader efforts to strengthen the capacity of security agencies operating in Lagos through the provision of operational equipment and other forms of support.
Receiving the LSSTF delegation, the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, described the donation as a major boost to the Nigerian Navy’s internal security operations in Lagos.
Aliu explained that the constitutional responsibility of the Armed Forces to support civil authorities during internal security operations was captured under Military Aid to Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power, adding that the new equipment would strengthen the Navy’s ability to support security operations on Lagos waterways and adjoining land areas.
He thanked Governor Sanwo Olu and Ogunsan for the intervention, saying the equipment would support the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, in ensuring that Lagos waterways and other areas under the Navy’s operational responsibility remain safe, secure and peaceful for legitimate activities.
The Commander stressed that the evolving nature of security challenges requires sustained cooperation and effective coordination among stakeholders. He noted that regular engagement and timely information sharing would further enhance the ability of security agencies to respond effectively to threats within the state, particularly along its waterways and maritime approaches.
This is in line with the mission of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, which is to deploy a highly motivated and professional naval force capable of safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime interests and contributing effectively to joint operations in defence of national sovereignty and the maintenance of internal stability.
