Date: 2020-02-14

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Professor Dakas Dakas has called for better welfare in terms of improved salary, good working tools for security agencies operating in the country.

Providing these, he said would bring about effective performance in combating security challenges facing the country at large.

Dakas made this call on Thursday while delivering his keynote address at a Security dialogue summit organised by Kwara State government.

Dakas who was represented by Mallam Tunde Aremu said with the lunch of Amotekun security outfit in the Southwest of the country, Kwara State must be on the lookout in order to curtail criminals relocating to Kwara.

The University of Jos Professor said Kwara state is peaceful but must be proactive to respond to security threats nearby and early warning signs.

He identified lack of promise implementation, fear of effecting laws, lack of adequate personnel, old equipment, among others as factors militating against good security services delivery.

"Funding problems, inter-agency rivalry among uniform men,technology challenges are other challenges facing our security agents," he said.

Similarly, Professor Hassan Salihu of the University of Ilorin said politicians must learn to draw the line between politics, campaign period and governance, calling on all stakeholders to sidestep their differences and build a sustainable system that works for all.

In his welcome address the Kwara state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said social inclusion, youth empowerment, and timely administration of justice are keys to fostering peace and development in any society.

According to him, "We will definitely continue to give the necessary and complementary logistic support to our security agencies.

"However, we believe that security is a broad concept that goes beyond arming the various security agencies or hanging cameras everywhere.

"We feel strongly that securing our society requires inclusion and empowerment of all the segments of our society.

"It involves guaranteeing social justice for everyone. It involves ensuring that no child is left behind in every developmental agenda. And it involves making sure that the justice system is not unduly slow or deliberately tilted against anyone."

He said the dialogue was a follow up to a recent security meeting of the Governors in the north-central region and security developments in other parts of the country.

AbdulRazaq commended the security agencies and traditional rulers for their efforts In sustaining peace in Kwara.

He said the administration is introducing social investment programmes to ensure that no one is left behind and guarantee peace and harmony.

"Hunger and poverty are catalysts for crimes and they must be addressed headlong," the Governor said, adding that the dialogue had been called to harvest the views of all the stakeholders in the state.

Experts present at the summit also called for more capacity building for the security agencies and other personnel of government in charge of security matters.

Security chiefs in the state applauded the dialogue initiative but called on the masses to always speak up when they see danger signs around them.

The Directorate of State Service chief Steve Ajege said the dialogue underpins AbdulRazaq's effort to further secure the state.

He called on parents to revisit the issue of family value and discipline and to work with security agencies to cut crime rate in the society.

Police commissioner, Kayode Egbetokun said community policing is underway and called for support for the initiative that he said would rely heavily on local personnel and intelligence gathering.

Other security agencies spoke in similar pattern, with the NDLEA calling on parents to pay attention to the activities of their children and lamenting the rising rate of drug abuse.

The Emir of Ilorin and chairman of the state traditional council Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari called on the federal government to make better use of the traditional institutions as did the colonial era.

Gambari commended the government for the dialogue, calling for better welfare for members of the security agencies and funding for traditional institutions to boost communal peace.

Prof Lanre Yusuf and Bishop Sunday Adewole, who represented the Muslim and Christian religious communities, urged the government to build its security strategies around the traditional and religious institutions.

The two religious leaders called for tolerance and harmony and restoration of religious and family values.

The dialogue drew participants from across all sectors of the state, with the heads of the three tiers of the government, leading traditional rulers, labour chiefs and youths leaders in attendance.