BY GIFT UWAGBOE/PRECIOUS OSUNDU
THE Oshimili South Local Government Area Chairman, Kelvin Ezenyili has ramped up efforts to strengthen security by introducing key measures aimed at preventing potential threats.
In a high-level meeting chaired by the Local Government Chairman, Chief Kelvin Ezenyili, stakeholders including security agencies, political parties, and civil society groups reached critical resolutions to bolster the safety of residents. Stakeholders present at the inaugural security meeting are the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Security (DSS).
Also present at the security meeting which held at the council secretariat in Asaba include vigilante groups, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS). Others include representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) as well as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Arewa and Muslim communities.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Chief Ezenyili said that provision has been made for security hotlines to enable them to checkmate insecurity within the area and make it easier and convenient for Oshimili South residents to reach security operatives in the case of any eventuality.
‘’We have made provision for security hotlines within the local government. The idea of making these numbers available is to enable us to checkmate the issue of any unforeseen circumstances within Oshimili South. These numbers will make it easier for our people to reach the security operatives to report any issue that is a threat to the security of lives and properties. ‘’These lines are temporal but we have also gone ahead to approve a special dedicated line and we will start the registration (of that line) very soon. We all know how it is in more advanced climes and this is what we aspire to replicate here. When it is available, we will make that number available to the public’’ he said.
The Chief Security Officer of Oshimili South further said that approval has been made to create a security trust fund for the local government, adding that the security should be a collective venture and opportunities should be made available for well-meaning individuals to partner with the local government to boost security.
He added that approval was given for the establishment of a neighbourhood watch which would include representatives of various associations, just as he called on political parties also sensitize their members on the imperative of security in Oshimili South.
While stressing on the need for broader participation in the security architecture of Oshimili South, Ezenyili solicited the cooperation of the various political parties, urging them to shelve their differences during elections and strive to ensure a safer and more developed Oshimili South.
