Donating patrol vehicles to security agencies not enough to curb crime – SPN tackles Makinde 

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in Oyo State has insisted that the procurement of patrol vehicles for the police and other security agencies is not enough to solve the security challenges in the state.

SPN made the assertion while addressing newsmen in Ibadan, at an event held to assess the three years administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

Reports that Makinde had donated patrol vehicles to security agencies, including the Police, as part of measures to reduce crime in the state.

SPN has, however, said that procurement of patrol vehicles to security agencies is not enough to solve the state’s security challenges.

The party while acknowledging that Makinde’s government has spent N178.7 million for the procurement of digital communication equipment for security agencies, lamented that the crime rate has continued to increase despite the huge amount of money spent on security by the present state government.

SPN Secretary in the state, Ayodeji Adigun while addressing journalists on behalf of his colleagues, insisted that no sustainable achievement can be recorded in the area of security if all of the efforts are limited to just the procurement of vehicles and hosting security summits.

Adigun added that the security challenges will continue if there are no concrete efforts to tackle the problem of unemployment and poverty in the state.

Adigun flanked by the Acting National Chairperson of SPN, Abiodun Bamigboye and Matthew Olanrewaju, said, “The donation of Security Patrol vehicles to the Police, N178.7 million for the procurement of digital communication equipment for security agencies and the launching of the State’s SECURITY CODE (615 toll-free) are the highlights of Engineer Seyi Makinde-led government achievements on security. They are no doubt much needed and necessary in the effort to strengthen the security network in the state.

“However, the fact that the rate of insecurity and youth restiveness including criminal activities with attendant loss of lives and property continues to rise in the state despite all these efforts by the government, shows that the effort to curb the rate of insecurity in the state can not be limited to mere donations of vehicles to security agencies.

“It is a general fact that mass unemployment and the condition of multidimensional poverty under which mass of poor youths in the State groan are largely responsible for the cause of insecurity and youth restiveness in the State. Therefore, any measure aimed at solving the security challenges that fails to address the question of unemployment and poverty will be grossly inadequate

“This is not to say that the procurement of additional vehicles for the security agents including organizing a series of security summits are not necessary even in a genuine effort to curb the menace of insecurity in the State. The point, therefore, is that no sustainable achievement can be recorded in the area of security if all of the efforts are limited to just the procurement of vehicles for security agencies and hosting of security submit without any concrete effort to tackle the problem of unemployment and poverty in the State”.

Adigun alleged that the so-called achievements of the Makinde-led government are nothing but branded deceits.

He said, “It is in the light of these observations we of the SPN conclude that the so-called achievements of Makinde-led government are nothing but branded deceits and never conceived fundamentally in the interest of the working people. Notwithstanding, a huge layer of working people in the State has continued to invest illusion in a regime which to a large extent perceived as a symbol of good governance.

“However, it is important to state that, the continuous illusion in Seyi Makinde-led government by some layers of the working people in the state is not unconnected with the impact of the huge propaganda the regime was able to build up over time around all its deceits packaged as achievements largely in area Education, Agriculture, security, infrastructure including the welfare of workers and pensioners as earlier enumerated”.