The Oyo State Government has concluded plans to repair and refurbish its seven Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to aid the security of lives and property across the state.
The government also said it has decided to roll out the second phase of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) initiative to sustain the positive gains of the first phase.
The decision forms part of the resolve reached at the weekly State Executive Council meeting held at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan, on Thursday.
Briefing the Press after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the state government was encouraged after a review of the first phase showed that the scheme had a positive impact on the people.
Oyelade noted that the need to sustain the effort, which, according to him, has helped people maintain balance in the face of subsidy removal, buoyed the decision to begin the next phase.
Corroborating the remarks, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Musibau Babatunde, said although the amount of money to be rolled out in the second phase has not yet been decided, the governor has directed the Chief of Staff, Segun Ogunwuyi, who doubles as the Chairman, SAfER Committee, and the Commissioner for Finance, Akinola Ojo, to carry out an in-depth review and come up with a plan for the next phase.
Babatunde assured that the outcome of the effort of the duo would give a direction to which the next phase would go in terms of the amount to disburse and modalities to be adopted.
He however disclosed that, whatever the outcome, it will be in the best interest of the people of the state, saying Governor Seyi Makinde has been at the forefront of impacting positively on the residents.
Also speaking on the refurbishment of the Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), the state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, said the state government is not relenting in its effort to beef up the security architecture in the state, which necessitated the award of the contract of the APCs the State Police Command.
He said the government is making arrangements to pay the N100 million mobilisation fees to the contractor with the balance of about N84 million to be paid at the completion and delivery of the project.
Still on Police affairs, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Babatunde Musibau, also disclosed the readiness of the state to support the State Command in hosting the 14th bi-annual Police Games in the state by giving support in the area of transportation, sporting facilities, and health, among others.
He noted that Governor Makinde and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, will jointly unveil the Games Mascot at an event to signal the commencement of the 10-day sporting activities in the state.
Dominica Nwabufo
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