The Enugu State government has expressed its willingness to collaborate with traditional rulers in the fight against insecurity and other forms of criminality in the state.
As part of the effort in this regard, the state government has slated this February 13 for the launch of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund (ESSTF).
This, the government said, is aimed at mobilizing resources, in cash and kind, from both the public and private corporate organizations, as well as well-meaning individuals, to strengthen security in the state.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund, Dr Ike Chioke, who spoke on the development during a stakeholders consultative meeting with the State Traditional Rulers Council, at the House of Chiefs Chamber, Enugu State House of Assembly Complex, Enugu, on Wednesday – yesterday, January 29 – said the board considered it appropriate to engage and sensitize the monarchs about the objectives of the Fund, urging them to key into the project and assist the government in its determined fight against criminality in their respective communities.
Stressing that security is everyone’s business, Dr Chioke called for the buy-in of the generality of the people, pointing out that the ambitious vision of the State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, to grow the State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031 may be difficult to achieve unless everyone works together to address insecurity in the State.
According to him, the Board of Trustees is stepping up its engagement and enlightenment efforts to ensure that key stakeholders are aware of the Fund’s objectives prior to its launch.
“The essence of the sensitization is to enable Ndi Enugu to understand that security is everyone’s business. The security trust fund is designed as a private/public partnership between the people and the state, such that each one of us contributes to security as part of our daily activities. We need to build and sustain security architecture around the entire state, which is where the purpose of the trust fund comes in,” Chioke stressed.
“As you know, we are going to launch the trust fund on the 13th of February. So, we are meeting with key stakeholders across the state to ensure that the government will be supported in securing the state and securing the progress that is evident from the work the governor is doing already,” he said.
According to the Commissioner for Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Matters, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, as chief security officers of their communities, the state government felt it was necessary to inform the traditional rulers about the policies aimed at prioritizing the welfare of the people, especially pertaining to security, and create their collective and individual buy-in.
He urged the traditional rulers to take on the responsibility of sensitizing their communities and encouraging them to buy into the security trust fund, so that the state’s indigenes in the diaspora can visit their villages without fear of attacks whenever they want to.
“This is a commendable policy of Governor Peter Mbah’s administration that seeks to improve the security of lives and property in the state. The challenge here requires all of us, particularly traditional rulers who serve as the chief security officers of their communities, to play their roles in engaging their people in this fight against insecurity,” the Commissioner stated.
Chairman of the Enugu Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, who spoke on behalf of the traditional rulers, praised Governor Mbah for his visionary leadership, expressing satisfaction with the State’s cutting-edge security infrastructure.
Concurring that security is the collective responsibility of all indienes and residents of Enugu, Igwe Asadu assured that every step and measure taken by the State government would wholeheartedly supported by the traditional rulers council as a whole, stressing that since the Governor has become bullish in the fight against insecurity, the traditional rulers would give him all the support he deserves.
“We are excited because Governor Mbah is a game changer. He brought the ‘tomorrow is here’ phenomenon and we are seeing it manifesting on a daily basis. Security is a collaborative effort, and Governor Mbah appointed the crème de la crème of society to the Board of Trustees to ensure the fund’s integrity. On behalf of the traditional rulers and principal officials, we endorse this initiative since it aims to assist the Governor in protecting our children, the state, investors, and tourists to the State,” Igwe Asadu stated.
