Lagos Needs N51 Billion Annually To Police 9,000 Streets -Fashola

Posted by African Examiner Ayo Balogun, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, November 28th, 2013

Ayo Balogun, Lagos

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, Nigeria says the State will need at least N51 billion annually to achieve effective patrol of the 9,000 streets in the State.

Gov. Fashola of Lagos state, South-West Nigeria

According to the Governor, “N45 billion for the purchase of 9, 000 patrol vehicles and N6.3 billion for the fueling of the cars”.

He lamented that the central government had given less priority to matters concerning security in the country.

“The Security of life and property isn’t just putting men and guns on the streets. It is also about designing policies that will help reduce the number of road accidents in the state,” said Fashola at the 7th Town Hall Meeting on Security, with the theme: “Sustaining Local Responding To Rising National Security Challenges,” held in Victoria, Lagos on Thursday.

The governor also lashed out at the Federal Government over the management of the N2.3 trillion alleged missing funds from the federation account of oil subsidy, saying “such found would construct 80 Lekki link bridges across the country.”

He said that the two armored cars bought at N255 million for the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, could also be used to purchase 51 patrol vehicles for the Nigerian Police.

“If one now looks at what happened to N2.3 trillion oil subsidy funds and how much that money would have done in the hands of our security agencies in the country, especially the Nigerian Police, they would have been able to police the country more and reduce the crime rate.

“If you divide N2.3 trillion by N29 billion which we used to construct the Lekki link bridge, you will have almost 80 Lekki link bridges. In what we used to buy fuel that we didn’t see. If we wanted to give every state two of those bridges, you will have enough and more to spend,” he stated.