APC Govs back community policing to tackle insecurity

.Commend resolution of issues surrounding Amotekun

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are prepared for the establishment of community police in their domains as a mean of checking the rising wave of insecurity across the country.

However, the governors expressed readiness to toe legal line in floating any security apparatus to complement federal security agencies in their states.

Plateau State governor and co – chairman, Good Governance Committee of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Simon Lalong, said it is pertinent that in floating community security apparatus, state governments must follow due process and be on same page with the Federal Government.

He spoke at the end of the first quarterly meeting of the PGF Governance Programmes Steering Committee in Abuja on Friday.

Gov. Lalong is my close ally – PDP LG Chairman

Lalong said the PGF will lay the foundation on how to improve on security for the APC states and when it is approved talk will begin on implementation and may be at the level of approval, people will bring up different issues and strategies.

“What we are laying down now is the framework on how to end insecurity generally because we are not unmindful of the situation in the country

“On security situation, I believe there is a standing Committee in the Presidency that is looking at security and that involves not only APC governors but all governors in the federation.

“The President is so worried about the issue of insecurity and he is working tirelessly to see how this menace will really come down”, he said.

The Plateau State governor on behalf of the PGF commended the APC – led Federal Government for its headlong confrontation of insugents in different parts of the country while giving assurance that other security challenges would be surmounted by the nation’s security agencies.

“But I am sure you will believe with me that around Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto it has dropped. Kaduna not so much as it used to be and when you go to the North East we are able to reduce it significantly.

“If you remember clearly, coming from Kano to Abuja you  are not sure if you will arrive without somebody bombing your car but now the fear is that of been kidnapped.

“The government is looking at social intervention to see how we can create jobs, create wealth and we believe that will help in strengthening the economy and that will help in reducing the security challenges

“On general term what we did after presentation from security agencies is, all of us appear to be talking about community policing. That one we all agreed on so we don’t want situation where you start doing something and the Federal Government will tell you that it is illegal.

On ‘Operation Amotekun’, he said the PGF is happy that the Federal Government and governors in the South – West region are finding some solutions and hoped that issues around the implementation of the security outfit will be resolved.

Acknowledging that security challenges of each state are peculiar, the PGF said each state should be allowed to implement what system they believe will work for them to protect lives and properties.

Speaking on the quarterly meeting of PGF Governance Programme Steering Committee, Lalong said the overarching objective was to identify common issues of governance that can be replicated across all the APC controlled states.

The meeting, he added, discussed taking the institutionalisation of Common Legislative and Policy Frameworks in APC states to the next level; finalising the work on the Draft PGF Primary Health Care Policy Brief, and developing new Implementation Strategies of Common and Cross Cutting Initiatives and Actions for APC as a party and its governments at all levels.

In addition, he said: “Today we are here to take look at the next steps from these two programme activities and also approve the propose 2020 work plan and programme activities for the Governance Programme.

Calling for proactiveness of the PGF Secretariat, he charged it “to work with necessary experts to developing strategic framework to address this.

“We would expect this to form part of the proposals to be reviewed at the next APC SGSs Quarterly Meeting, after which Forum can give its approval

“We must also remind the PGF Secretariat of the need to hold the meeting of the Hon. Commissioners of Health and Executive Secretaries of Primary Health Care Agencies of APC State before the end of this quarter as the outcome is expected to be taken also at next APC SGSs Quarterly Meeting”.