President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his administration’s commitment to continue to provide various platforms for all the security agencies in the fight against terrorism, banditry and all forms of criminality.
This was contained in his address on Tuesday at the inauguration of the 65 flats accommodation for the Special Protection Unit, SPU, Base 6, of the Nigerian Police Force, built and donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, at Omagwa, Rivers State.
The president, represented by Vice President Yemi Osinabjo, pointed out that without security there would be no development.
According to the president, the inauguration of the project meets two objectives of government in the provision of security and development.
“First, it is an important part of our efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of our police officers and men.
“And it is also another important milestone in my administration’s pursuit of the peace, prosperity and development of the Niger Delta.
“We recognize that establishing adequate security is absolutely integral to the fulfillment of this objective which is why we have committed significant resources to projects such as we are about to commission.”
President Buhari said that the project was important because it would alleviate the accommodation challenges of senior security personnel posted to Rivers State and would enhance the security footprint in the region.
“The cumulative impact of this and other similar projects will be the improvement of security in the state and the consolidation of the economic and social life of the people of the area,” he stated.
Major reforms
Noting that police is a crucial component of Nigeria’s security architecture, President Buhari stated that it was in recognition of the part the force plays in the enforcement of law and order that his administration embarked on major reforms of the police.
“They are the civil force, the closest to the people in the various communities. In the past months we have been undertaking a major reform of the Police.
“First we believe that we must increase the number of police personnel. So we have set yearly recruitment targets.
“We also are in the process of re-equipping our personnel, both in personal gear and hardware.
“An important feature of the reform is accommodation for men and officers.
“I have directed that the building of barracks for men should be done in collaboration with the social housing effort of the Family Homes Fund.
“This will ensure speed in execution of all of the projects and all of barracks that need to be provided.”
Huge challenge
President Buhari noted that funding of the police force remains a huge challenge, explaining that it was for that purpose that his administration worked with the National Assembly to enact the Police Trust Fund act.
He added that government was also looking at other measures to improve funding for the police.
He commended that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs “for providing leadership and resilience amidst mounting challenges and ensuring that projects that have direct impact on the lives of the people are prioritized and completed in line with my directives.
“The Federal Government has invested significantly in the NDDC and we recognize that this outlay of resources must be justified with verifiable projects that will improve the living standards of the people in the region.”
Synergy with states
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, called on the NDDC to work in synergy with the states to achieve the common purpose of development.
“Time has come that you must synergize; let us leave this politics,“ Wike urged the NDDC.
He called on the commission to fulfill their obligations in projects where it has counterpart-funding agreements with states.
Abandoned projects.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Goodswill Akpabio said that efforts were being made to complete most of the 13,777 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta region in line with President Buhari’s commitment to ensure that all projects are completed.
“Of the 13,777 projects, we look at the ones that we can complete for the benefit of the people; and I assure you that they will be completed for your benefit within this tenure or even after.
“We have completed about 77 roads under the NDDC, even though we have not given out a single contract yet.“
He said that President Buhari has assured that everything would be done to complete the East-West Road, a project which began in 2006, but has not been completed yet.
NDDC interventions.
The interim administrator of the NDDC, Efiong Akwa listed the several areas that the commission has intervened across the country.
“We have intervened in the area of education, various university scholarships; we have provided science equipment to institutions of higher learning; under health, we have built hospitals some of them are various stages of completion; occasionally, we donated vaccines to all the nine states of the Niger Delta under corporate social responsibility.“
Akwa said that the commission has also done water projects, electricity projects, including the 122kva substation in Ondo State, as well as waste disposal projects.
Inspector-General of the Police, Alkali Baba Usman said the SPU building is not only the first of its kind since the creation of the unit in 2009, but also demonstrates the commitment of the NDDC to supporting the Nigerian police and the government to achieve its internal security mandate.
The contract for the building of the SPU building in Omagwa, Rivers State was originally awarded in 2012 but was stalled by series of delays.
The building consists of 64 apartments for the accommodation of senior officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU).
It also comprises a five bedroom commander’s quarters, functional office accommodation, a sentry post, guardroom with armoury and a parade ground of the Nigerian Police Force, built by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Dominica Nwabufo
