ONE of the constitutional roles of government is the welfare and security of the lives and property of citizens. As a result, no responsible government neglects the crucial role security plays in effective implementation of quality development programmes and progress of the state, hence successive administrations in Delta state have always prioritized security issues.
The recent donation of 31 operational vehicles by Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to the joint security task force in the state, Delta Hawk now rebranded “ Operation Delta Sweep”, is a continuation and consolidation of the security architecture established by his predecessor to tackle the menace of insecurity across the state.
The Okowa administration established Delta State Community Security Corps Agency in 2020, as one of the bold steps to mitigate the effects of rising wave of criminality and ensure the safety of residents of the state. The passage of the 38 clause Executive Bill by the State House of Assembly then led by Oborevwori as Speaker was a demonstration of the government’s interest in the security of lives and property of the people amidst growing insecurity in the country.
Oborevwori’s donation of operational vehicles to the joint security task force is indeed a step in the right direction to enhance effective policing of the state. Though the provision of security in the country is the exclusive responsibility of the federal government, it is a common knowledge that the federal government have failed to meet its obligations to the security agencies, thus leaving the states where they operate with no option than to continue to bridge the gap in funding and equipping of the security agencies.
As rightly noted by Oborevwori, during the presentation of the vehicles, the donation was informed by the general insecurity being experienced in the country and therefore urged the security agencies to work in synergy and share intelligence to ensure effective security in the state.
Before now, the governor had shown interest in sustaining security of the state. He demonstrated this disposition in less than three months on his assumption of office through support to the police and other security agencies in the state in their collaborative effort through joint operations with the military to keep the state safe.
We commend the state government for acquiring that significantly large number of vehicles to ensure effective operation of the security agencies, which in turn, would promote peace, secure lives and property. The underlying benefit is that a secured peaceful environment would create room for meaningful development and bolster investors’ confidence to come and do business in the state.
We, therefore, call on the heads of the various security agencies in the state to reciprocate the government’s gesture through greater commitment to effective policing of the state to curb all forms of crimes. The leadership of the security agencies should imbibe the culture of regular maintenance of the vehicles to ensure that the vehicles are in proper shape to enable them to carry out their operations smoothly at all times.
