Press Releases

Lagos Demonstrates Operation Of State Wide Security Camera
...Gov Fashola urges more support for Security Trust Fund

Jan 13, 2009 - Lagos State Government on Tuesday took another giant step towards ensuring the safety of life and property in the state with a practical demonstration of its city wide security camera control capability preparatory to the completion of the State Security and Command Centre.

Speaking at a brief ceremony in Lagos where the workings of the cameras were demonstrated, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said the demonstration is a confirmation of what the state government can do.

“We have just come to demonstrate what we are doing while awaiting the completion of the security and command centre that will house not only all the facilities but also heads of departments who would be in charge of the ambulances, traffic and Rapid Response Squad and so many of them”, the Governor said.

Continuing he added: “It is the beginning of a very big dream. All of my life, what we have demonstrated here today as happening in Lagos used to happen only in movies, but it’s real now. We have taken the very first step”

Governor Fashola reiterated that the concern of security anywhere in the state is the concern of security everywhere in the state, adding that the state established the Security Trust Fund to provide an opportunity for everybody who take security as important as the government to contribute towards it.

While assuring that the Security Trust Fund is not a tax, he pleaded that everyone should lend a hand so that together a move can be made to bend the ark and take control of our city from law breakers and criminals once and for all.

He added that: “We need money to do this and therefore whether you belief what we say or not, certainly you cannot disbelief what we have done. And if we get more money, certainly we will do a lot more”

He warned those in the habit of damaging public properties and dumping wastes indiscriminately that they are now being monitored.

He explained that what the state has achieved with its partners and heads of security organizations collaborating with it and Lagosians who have given their fullest support and encouragement is the beginning of a very big dream.

Governor Fashola added that the responsibility of every government worthy of that name is the protection of life and property of its citizenry.

He informed that the safe city project is the deployment of technology through the state to increase the capacity to monitor not only crime but other challenges that it has like traffic, solid waste monitoring and others.

Governor Fashola said: “We realize that security is critical to the dream of the Lagos that we want and has also realized that no state can successfully police herself in the orthodox method of beats and patrols alone in an increasingly technology driven age where we must be adaptable and responsive”.

The Governor added that not only would the command centre be involved in receiving dispatch calls but also, right on the spot, will be able to dispatch command to the men on the field in the various sectors.

He added that “we realize the difficult challenge and terrain in which we have to operate, but we have said we will never be fazed by challenges but will rather do innovative things as 18 million people cannot be protected by 33,000 police officers. It is evident that we cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results”.

“In an IT world, we have stood up to be counted as one of those states and communities that would adopt best practices. Cameras, sensors, tracking devices are the nerve centre of this facility that will assist men and officers of the Nigerian Police, Fire service, OP-Messa to do their duties more effectively”, he emphasized.

Governor Fashola recalled that the programme is one of the steps in the whole platform which had been preceded by the signing and naming of streets and provision of directional signs for responders to get to crises points on time.

He listed others as the deployment of the toll free emergency 767 hotline and the conscious efforts at lighting up the city at a great cost to the state government, which was targetted to make a difference, as well as the ongoing equipping of men and officers of the Police.

He said the ultimate goal of the provision of security cameras at designated points to cover the whole state is to keep a watchful eye of safety and security on all Lagosians.

He reiterated that members of the public have a great role to play in the success of the programme as it is only when people call the toll free lines to inform about emergency situations that the response process can be activated leading to all sequential actions taking place.

He said when people call in, such action spots can be zeroed in from the control room and the necessary first responders are immediately deployed to the scene of the incident

Governor Fashola also informed that the state expects that the system will be able to respond when emergency or accidents happen and eliminate loss of lives which may be due to failure of security agencies or medical aid to get to the scene of the problem on time.

Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele who anchored the event said the state’s safe city project is a sign of the great things happening in the state.

The event was attended by members of the State Executive Council and senior officers from all security and paramilitary formations in the state.