The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun has assured that the nation’s security situation will be better this year judging by the renewed vision of the force to uphold professionalism across all fronts.
The Police boss spoke on Friday during a working visit at the Government House, Enugu, ahead of the President Bola Tinubu’s one-day state visit today.
The president is expected to commission some of the projects executed by the Governor Peter Mbah administration.
According to a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, “The Enugu State Government is happy to announce the first state visit to the state by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Saturday, January 4, 2025.
“The president will during the visit commission some of the numerous projects executed by our administration, such as the 30 completed and equipped Enugu Smart Green Schools out of 260 under construction across the 260 wards in the state, 60 completed and equipped Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres out of the 260 under construction across the 260 wards in the state, the completed multi-auditorium and multi-functional Enugu International Conference Centre, 90 completed urban roads in Enugu City, state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre as well as 150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-embedded surveillance cameras.”
The statement also added that President Tinubu would commission some of the completed rural roads during the one-day visit.
While commending the efforts of the Governor Peter Mbah administration in the security of lives and property as well as the overall development of the state, Egbetokun ws shown round some of the projects scheduled for commissioning by President Tinubu.
Some of the many projects executed by Mbah, among them the ultramodern Command and Control Centre as well as 150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-embedded cameras for the Distress Response Squad, a special police unit set up by the administration in collaboration with the Nigeria Police.
“I want to start by expressing our profound appreciation to the Governor of Enugu State for the support that you have given to the Nigeria Police Force in our quest to provide and ensure Peace and Security in Enugu State. Your commitment to our shared goal of a safer Nigeria is truly commendable.
“You are doing great things in Enugu State. The report I have been getting in Enugu has been truly good. I am very happy and glad to hear the force of work you are doing in the state to ensure that the people of Enugu State enjoy the dividends of democracy.
“Importantly, I congratulate you on your giant strides in the area of security and in other areas. I am pleased to note that the collaboration between the Nigeria Police and Enugu State Government has continued to yield excellent results; and we are determined to build on this success.
“In this year 2025, I want to let you know that we are committed to pursuing our policing vision more vigorously. We will prioritise community engagement. We will prioritise professionalism and emphasise ethical conduct of our officers.
“I am very confident that with your support we are going to overcome all the challenges that we are facing presently and ensure that Nigeria becomes safer for all of us,” he said.
Speaking, Governor Mbah thanked the IGP for the strong support given to his administration to fight crime and secure lives and property.
“We cannot thank you enough for the interest you have shown and continued to show in the security matters of Enugu State. You may not have been here before now, but from the outset, we have felt your presence here because you have provided us with all the support, both material and human, that we need to fight the challenges of insecurity to a standstill.
“We had a meeting on how to address the security challenges in Enugu and without sparing any time, you provided us with all the support to ensure we have Special Forces here. You provided us with the equipment.
“This is very important to us because the plan we have to grow our economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion could only happen with security in place. Businesses can deal with financial risk and commercial risk, but cannot deal with security risks; which is why we thought that for that growth to materialise, we will provide security. So, you have been a very strong pillar of support to the government,” he stated.
By Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu @TheNation
