By Christopher Oji
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF ) said it will need N50 billion to function effectively.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Fund, Mr Abdurrazaq Balogun, who stated this at a press briefing on Wednesday, at his office in Alausa, Ikeja, said with the global trend and challenges, most especially the high cost of goods because of the scarcity of dollar, it is no longer business as usual.
Balogun, who briefed the press at the 17th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security, said this year’s theme: “Security complexities and convergence, the Lagos Imperatives”, would enable him to brief the donor of how the money entrusted to LSSTF was spent.
Balogun said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would be on ground at the event to have one and one interaction with stakeholders, as the chief security officer of the state. Also, in attendance will be the state Commissioner of Police, who will also brief the governor and the public on how far he has done in securing life and property in the state. “It is not as if we are supporting only the police, but it is the leading security agency that is in charge of security. The members of the public will have the opportunity to express their views concerning the fund and security.
“I stand tall to say that LSSTF is the most transparent organisation in the country, because we render accounts of what we have done with donors’ money or gifts. We are audited regularly, and that is why the public are donating and trusting us with their gifts. I would like to thank the members of the public and corporate organisations and private individuals, who are giving and doing their best to see that Lagos State remains the most secured state in Nigeria.
“However, security remains the most challenging aspect of our society. As it is today, if you don’t secure your state, criminals, kidnappers, terrorists, robbers etc will overrun the state. But when you secure the state, it will be peaceful and habitable for people to live and invest. It is pertinent to note that crime has gone beyond breaking and entering, carrying of guns up and down. We are now talking of cutting edge technology and combating crime with technology. We have started this in Lagos. If you move around the city, you will see cameras everywhere. These cameras are not for jokes, they are doing wonderfully well. For instance, if a hit-and-run driver takes off after committing the act, the camera will fish the person out as he will be tracked with the number plate of his vehicle.
“During this year’s meeting, we are going to talk about many things regarding security. For instance, there is the problem of food insecurity, but people should be able to talk about it.
If the state takes care of its citizens, gives employment and puts everything in place, the crime rate will reduce drastically. We are going to brainstorm on how to fund the police. That is why we chose a larger venue, Eko Hotel and Suites this year to accommodate more people.
“We need over N50 billion annually to fund security. We have over 23 million people in Lagos. If we are sincere and people are willing to support the war against crime, we can do it. For instance, if people volunteer to donate towards the project, Lagos will make it and our security will be tighter.
“We need about 200 fleets of vehicles to police the state. A vehicle we bought for like N5 million last year should be three times more than what we bought it. We are going to engage stakeholders on how to assist us for a better funding of the state security.
He appealed to members of the public to donate in cash or in kind.”