The Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde on Wednesday presented 100 additional operational vehicles to security operatives, with a promise to do more.
The state government had in August 2023, announced its intention to procure 100 units of Kia Rio 1.4ltr engine and five units of Kia Optima 2.0ltr engine after it was approved at the State Executive Council meeting.
The vehicles which at the time were put at around N3.354 billion were branded, equipped with communication gadgets and distributed to security agencies across the 33 local government areas in the state.
The governor said the effort was basically to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of security operatives in the state, noting that if the operatives had all the equipment to work with, the people would live in a safer environment.
While presenting the vehicles at a brief ceremony, the governor acknowledged that some people had checked the cost of the vehicles and alleged a slight difference from the regular Kia in the market. He explained that the cars are for security operations and the difference in cost could have been due to the security features added.
Accountability
The governor urged the people to hold his administration accountable for money spent, noting that the money is the commonwealth of the state and everyone in government is supposed to be accountable for how the money is spent.
Makinde said: “We are here today to appreciate our service commanders, our officers and men of the various security agencies in Oyo State. I want to on behalf of the government and people of Oyo State, say thank you! Throughout 2023, we faced various security issues and challenges, but you made Oyo State one of the safest states in Nigeria.
“So, what can we do? We can only give maximum support to ensure that your work is not like a hardship posting and I want to give you the assurance that we will continue to support you. Patrol vehicles are just vehicles. The process, the system, the utilisation by the officers and men is the most important thing” the governor stated.
Makinde publicly thanked the Commissioner of Police for the leadership and motivation he is providing for his officers and men, asking service commanders to pay special attention to the welfare of the people that they want to deploy.
He said: “For these vehicles and officers that you will deploy, I am ready and willing to do more to look after their welfare. It Is extremely important. Don’t just leave the vehicle to them and tell them to go out to the field to keep Oyo State safe and secure, come back to us on your welfare requirement and we will attend to that.”
Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, CP Fatai Owoseni, thanked Governor Makinde for the various ways he supports security operatives in the state, noting that only a few states can compete with Oyo in terms of security infrastructure and provision of support to security operatives, including the series of donation and presentation of security vehicles.
While appreciating the governor on behalf of other security commanders in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, said the donation was the second he would receive from the government in the spate of six months that he resumed in the state.
He disclosed that the first set of donations of 15 pick-up vans, which were very germane to security operations, was in addition to the over 80 the Police had before.
Emmanuel Ukoh
Comments are closed.