Osun’s ALGON — the group of local government chairmen elected on the APC platform — rolled up to the state police headquarters in Osogbo on Saturday and handed over 60 patrol vehicles to security agencies.
Samuel Idowu, ALGON’s chairman, led the presentation and reminded everyone this wasn’t the first time. He’d earlier donated 30 patrol cars and said the gifts show the councils mean business on safety and wellbeing.
“Just few weeks ago, we were here to unveil the distribution of the patrol vehicles and I am glad to inform this gathering that the remaining of the vehicles are here for distribution aimed at strengthening the security, maintenance of law and order in the state. This is indeed, ‘a promise made, a promise kept.’
“Security remains the bedrock of any meaningful development anywhere in the world. Without peace and stability, no society can thrive, and no government can achieve its developmental goals hence the bold steps taken by the leadership of our councils to support the security formations in the state,” Idowu said.
He stressed that local government autonomy helped make the move possible. “Autonomy enables us to act without undue delays, to design solutions that are tailored to our local realities, and to take responsibility for the security and welfare of our communities.
“As council executives, we are now better positioned to initiate and execute people-oriented programmes such as this distribution of security patrol vehicles. This is a clear testament to what can be achieved when governance is brought closer to the grassroots and when local authorities are trusted with the resources and responsibility to act.
“The provision of these patrol vehicles is therefore not only a security intervention but also a practical demonstration of the effectiveness of local government autonomy in Nigeria particularly in Osun State. We are donating 60 vehicles today. But we earlier donated 30 before today making 90 in total.”
He asked the security outfits to use and maintain the cars well. Speaking for the beneficiaries — Army, NSCDC, DSS and Immigration — Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan thanked ALGON, noting the help shows confidence in security agencies. He added the vehicles would boost operations and urged joint effort.
“These operational vehicles will significantly improve mobility, response time, patrol coverage, intelligence-led operations, and inter-agency collaboration in combating crime and maintaining public order.
“As beneficiaries of this support, we assure members of the public that these assets will be deployed judiciously, maintained properly, and utilized strictly for the purpose (security) for which they are intended; which is to safeguard lives and property and ensure peace across Osun State.”
