Security stakeholders on Wednesday in Lagos, commended the State House of Assembly for its move to establish a Neighbourhood Safety Agency to address the rising security challenges in the state.
The stakeholders gave the commendation at a Public Hearing organised by the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa.
The Public Hearing was on “A Bill for a Law to Establish the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency for the Regulation and Control of the Vigilante Corps Activities and for Connected Purposes’’.
According the legislators, such a Bill has been long overdue to engage grassroots people on the security of lives and property.
The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr Abdulrasak Balogun, who supported the Bill, said that it would complement efforts of other security agencies.
Balogun said, “I think the intendment is good. We are not opposed to the Bill, but the House may have to harmonise it with the Law of Neighbourhood Watch because they have a lot in common.’’
On the funding of the proposed agency, he noted that it had been difficult to raise money from corporate bodies to finance security, adding that it would not be wise to depend on corporate bodies to raise funds.
He also raised objection to a section of the bill, which suggested that 1 per cent of the fund raised by the LSSTF should be given to the agency.
The Chairman, Lagos State Conference of Executive Secretaries, Mr Kolade Alabi, said, “I salute the prime mover of this Bill, it is long overdue’’.
Alabi lauded the stand of LSSTF on the bill and urged the state government to ensure that members of the Neighbourshood Watch were absorbed into the new Agency.
A community leader in Magodo area of state, Mr Idowu Anjorin, said that community leaders should be engaged in the operations to assist in securing the neighbourhood.
Another community leader from Magodo Isheri, Mr. Johnson Olabokunde, lauded the state government for its landmark interventions since return of democracy to the nation in 1999.
Olabokunle said that security at the grassroots level remained the most effective in the protection of lives and property and called for more funding of the Neighbourhood Watchers.
Also speaking, Mr Emmanuel Ayisire, the Deputy State Commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Lagos State, said, “This bill shows how pro-active the House is to security challenges of insurgency, kidnapping, robbery and others’’.
“The country today is quite unsecured and nothing will move when there is no security. We need people who are domiciled in their area of operations.
“They know the terrain, topography and demography of the areas. ‘’ Ayisire said.
Ayisire, who said that the voluntary group had been promoting community policing across the 774 local governments in Nigeria, noted that it was important to embrace community policing.
In his keynote address, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa said, “The Bill is for the purpose of the people and safety of all. We have all noticed upsurge in crimes in different nature across the country.
“Here at the Lagos Assembly, our resolve as lawmakers is to make laws that will make residents enjoy the dividends of democracy in the comfort of their homes.
“Issues of security and safety have been of concern to Nigerians and the provision of adequate security of lives and property is the resolve of our government.
“We are determined to completely wipe out crimes in Lagos State. We want the participation of the people at the grassroots in policing their community because they live there and are privy to intelligent information,’’ Obasa said.
Obasa commended Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for his efforts in wiping out crimes with the establishment of the State Security Trust Fund and purchase of sophisticated weapons for all security agencies with the support of the House.
The speaker, however, said that the new agency would integrate the existing personnel of the Neighbourhood Watch, if they were competent, and of good character with integrity.
Reviewing the bill, the Majority Leader of the House, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, said that the Bill was meant to enhance the security of the state.
Agunbiade said, “This bill is to respond more adequately to the security challenges of this state. It has to do with all round strategies to effectively make Lagos safe for citizens and investors.’’
Earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, said that security remained a primary responsibility of any government, adding that any government that failed to secure lives and property had failed.
He said that the proposed Bill would complement the efforts of the Federal Government to end crimes and all disturbances.
NAN reports that under the Bill, the agency would complement and assist the Police and other security agencies within the community to maintain law and order by making available relevant information on suspected criminals.
According to the Bill, the agency shall be a uniformed Neighbourhood Corps operating within all the local governments/local council development areas of the state.
The Bill proposed that the service of the chairman and members of the Board shall be on part-time basis and shall only be entitled to sitting allowance as approved by the governor.