The Edo State Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Col David Imuse (rtd) has faulted the recent claims by Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, the State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that Governor Godwin Obaseki is having sleeplessness nights over the state of insecurity in the state as a huge slap on the sensibilities of Edo people.
In a statement in Benin on Thursday by the Caretaker Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ofure Osehobo, Imuse said it was wrong for Aziegbemi to expect Governor Obaseki to be sleeping while Edo people are daily having sleepless nights because of the criminal siege on the state by cultists and Fulani herdsmen.
He challenged the PDP to summon the courage and tell the governor that his monthly security vote of over N700million from Edo State coffers, is solely for funding security agencies in the state and that his tenacious hold on the monies by refusing to deploy it to fund security agencies is what is fuelling insecurity in the state.
Imuse said: “The PDP Chairman’s claim that the governor has put in place a security plan that is at the implementation stage to guarantee a peaceful Christmas and New Year celebrations is flawed because Edo people want an all year round security rather than such unrealistic ad hoc plans.”
He said it was a similar hurried plan by Governor Obaseki that gave birth to the so called but now moribund, ‘New Security Architecture,’ which in December 2018 gulped over N2 billion of Edo taxpayers monies and another N200million from corporate citizens.
“The APC, therefore, charges the governor to be more proactive by involving critical stakeholders in our communities and providing adequate funding of security services, to make Edolites sleep with their two eyes closed once again,” the chairman insisted.
Col Imuse said: “The APC is of the opinion that the police in Edo State need adequate materials and institutional support and that the state government has the means and can afford it. Also the Security Trust Fund of the state must now be utilized as a special purpose vehicle to mobilize funding for the security agencies on a sustainable basis rather than the present ad hoc basis.
“As for the Community Policing Programme involving Neighborhood Watch and Vigilante groups which have been established and are successfully operating in other parts of the country, all Edo State needs is to replicate same for her rural and urban areas.”
Imuse added: “The PDP chairman should tell the governor too, that Edo traditional rulers, village heads, school authorities and religious organizations are critical stakeholders, and must be part of the big picture to find a pragmatic and lasting solution to the killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes that are ravaging our state.”
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