The peaceful atmosphere and security of lives and property being enjoyed in Lagos State can largely be attributed to the massive support to security agencies by government and the private sector through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

According to Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Abdurrazaq Balogun, the creation of the Fund was necessitated by the increasing menace of crime in the State and the inability of the security agencies particularly the Police to tackle the crimes.

Balogun highlighted that the gross underfunding of the Police and other security agencies had made security operatives ill-equipped to effectively discharge their duties, hence the establishment of the Fund in twenty-zero-seven by a Law of the Lagos House of Assembly.

According to him, the objective was to provide money for the acquisition and deployment of security equipment and other resources as shall be found necessary for the effective functioning of all Federal, State, Local Government and other security agencies operating in the State, and also for the training and retraining of security personnel.

He said the Fund was deliberately modeled as a Public Private Partnership approach in order to create autonomy for the Fund, ease of administrative processes and encourage private sector participation, saying the activities of the Fund were coordinated by members a ten member Board of Trustee, including the Executive Secretary, with seventy percent of its members from the private sector who were well established and respected people in the society.

Balogun said the primary function of the Board was to raise funds from public and private organisations to procure and maintain crime fighting equipment for the security agencies, saying this they had done with total commitment and dedication which was visible in the sustenance and success of the Trust Fund.

He said the Fund had also recorded giant strides due to the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode who made security paramount in his administration based on his understanding of the importance of security in attracting both foreign and local investments in the State for its economic growth and stability.

Balogun emphasised that the success of the Fund lies in the government, and the critical selection and appointment of men or women of integrity as Board of Trustees of the Fund was very important as their influence was essential in fundraising.

He said the transparency and accountability of the Fund over the years had enabled it gain and retain the trust of its donors which was also very key to their success, saying since inception, the Fund’s accounts had been audited annually by International Audit Firms, promoting the Fund’s foundational core values which stands for Prudence, Accountability, Resourcefulness and Trust.

Balogun said the Audited Financial Statements was published annually in the Fund’s Town Hall Meeting brochure, two national dallies, as stipulated by law, and on the Fund’s official website so donors and the members of the public could see how their donations were being utilised.

Also, the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Olatunji Disu said the Squad was a unit created from the Lagos State Police Command saddled with the responsibility of providing swift response to emergencies in the State.

Disu an Assistant Commissioner of Police said the Squad had enjoyed immense support of the Lagos State Government and private organizations through the Fund, which had motivated them in the effective discharge of their duties.

Key stakeholders commended the Fund initiative while asserting that it had helped in no small measure to address the state’s peculiar security situation through prompt provision of necessary professional and logistical supports for the various security agencies in the state to operate seamlessly.

According to them, being the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, Lagos had its peculiar security challenges, saying its sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic driven immigration makes it naturally attractive to criminal activities, but the coming of the Fund, the first of its kind in the country, seemed to have really assisted in swiftly addressing some the state’s most critical security concerns.

One of them, the Founder/Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, said the Lagos State Security Trust Fund had become a model for other states across the federation, thus encouraged other private sector stakeholders to increase their contribution in funding the security initiative.

Without a doubt, the setting up of the Fund was another laudable initiative from a State renowned for its several pace setting feats and it has really helped to provide creative strategy for the state’s diverse security concerns.
With regular provision of training and critical security equipment such as surveillance helicopters, operational vehicles, motorbikes, arms and ammunitions, patrol boats, Armoured Personnel Carriers among others crucial operational needs to relevant security agencies in the state, crime rate in the state had, no doubt, been on progressive decline in the last ten years.

For a Mega city like Lagos State, the Police-Personnel Population ratio of one to four hundred in a State with estimated population of about twenty-four million was considered a big security issue that must be the concern of well-meaning Nigerians.

Hence the Fund envisioned more highly trained men and women working with modern logistic support, with effective cooperation and collaboration with other stakeholders, and in pursuant to this, the Fund had been investing hugely in the empowerment of the various security agencies in the state.

It should be stressed that every investment on public security by any government was a priceless one, as universally, security was the most essential duty of any government as insecurity leads to chaos and anarchy which ultimately undermine every genuine effort to transform the society.

Therefore, public security remained a primary duty that any government was obliged to offer to all of its citizens on equal basis, irrespective of class, wealth, position, tribe, religion, or any other such classifications, as the main goal of public security was to ensure the protection of the citizenry against all activities that could endanger lives and properties.

The public security status of any government was ultimately an indicator of its public acceptance, because public security was one of the most prominent factors that determined good governance and guarantees the extent of socio-economic growth and development.

The lack of viable public and safety mechanisms in any given society makes sustainable socio-economic development a very difficult task, as it was in the light of this that the Lagos state government Security Trust Fund enterprise remained an ingenious scheme which should be supported by every well meaning organization and individuals in the state.

It is, however, important to call on every segment of the society to support the state government and all security agencies so as to enhance public safety in the state, as an effective public security cannot be obtained without the active involvement, participation and support of every section of the society because public security was the responsibility of all individuals, groups, communities, organisations and other units that constitute the state.