Date: 2018-05-16

SPEECH DELIVERED BY RT. HON. DR ALI AHMAD, SPEAKER OF THE KWARA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY AT THE STAKEHOLDERS' MEETING ON THE KWARA STATE SECURITY TRUST FUND LAW 2012 HELD ON 15TH MAY 2018.

Protocols.

I am delighted to welcome you all to this occasion of stakeholders' meeting on the Kwara State Security Trust Fund Law 2012. There is no gainsaying the fact that protection of life and property comes at the top of human needs. It is therefore imperative that every effort should be exerted towards ensuring the safety of citizens and of their property.

I wish to use this opportunity to specially commend the security agencies in the State for the professionalism with which they are carrying out their duties. The swift response that culminated in the arrest of some of culprits in the recent security incident in Offa is no doubt a testimony to the dedication and commitment of our gallant officers to their work. On other occasions we have also seen that the Police and other security personnel have exhibited commendable commitment to their duties.

I must also commend the invaluable contribution of vigilante groups in the complementary role they are playing towards ensuring adequate security across the State. It is reassuring that despite the fact that many of these groups are operating on volunteer basis, members are giving their best for the safety of all.

The State government on its part has been expending enormous resources on security, including providing logistics and other support to the security agencies to enhance their capacity and efficiency.

It is pertinent to observe that crime is increasingly getting more and more sophisticated. It is therefore imperative that the approach to combating crime must necessarily require fresh ideas and strategies. Whatever strategy is evolved will no doubt require adequate funding but Government cannot provide the required funding alone.

In this regard, it is gratifying to note that we have an existing law in the State that addresses the issue of funding in regards to security matters, titled "The Kwara State Security Trust Funds Law 2012."

The Law Provides for the establishment of a State Security Trust Fund, with contributions to be drawn from government and the private sector. Essentially, the objectives of the Fund as set in section 2 of the Law, includes fostering effective partnership between the public and private sectors in crime prevention and containment. The Fund is also to be used to provide adequate resources for the training of personnel and acquisition of equipment for the security agencies.

Statistics has shown that crime rate are low in society that have invested heavily in security infrastructure towards pro-active crime prevention early detection rather than mere reaction to crime already committed.

The management of the Fund is placed under the responsibility of an independent Board, whose membership is drawn from the public and private sector including the security agencies.

There is no doubt that the implementation of this law will reinforce the overall effort to improve the State's security architecture. It is therefore imperative that the Board to manage the Fund is inaugurated without further delay.

Despite the existence of this 6 year old Law, peaceful nature of the State as well as Government reluctance to place any financial burden on the people combined to work against implementation of the Law.

Events in the State in the past few weeks have now shown that it is indeed cheaper in both financial and human lives to immediately implement the law and create this Security Trust Fund.

But how do we achieve the objectives set out in the law? What does it take to put in place a Board of Trustees? How has the fund in other State been functioning? And what timeline do we propose to achieve? This august gathering must find answers to all these questions today.

I must end by stating that security should be the concern of all. This meeting is a collective effort at seeking ways to chart a roadmap on security for the State. I therefore call on you all make useful suggestions on the way forward in the effort to make Kwara State a peaceful, secure and prosperous State.

Thank you.