Gbenro Adesina
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the Oyo State Security Network and Amotekun corps, was established to compliment the Nigeria Police and other Federal Government security agencies to combat crime in the South West states of Nigeria stressing, “People cannot imagine Oyo State without Amotekun”.
Pointing out that his administration has been able to strengthen the security architecture of the state by streamlining operations between Amotekun and other security agencies, Makinde said that his administration has tightened security by ensuring a seamless relationship between Amotekun and other security operatives.
The Governor, who stated this yesterday at a special Thanksgiving Service to mark the 66th birthday of the presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, held at the Livingspring Chapel International, Dominion City, Aduloju, Ibadan, pointed out that the impact of Amotekun has been felt in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
He said, “Sometime ago, in this part of Nigeria, we only hear about killings, kidnappings from faraway places but now, we are experiencing it. Yes, we will do our part, put things in place like we have done here in Oyo State. Before the advent of this administration, there was nothing like Amotekun but we set it up, equipped the outfit and the operatives are all over the place now. Now, we are making the agency more professional, giving its operatives more training. When Amotekun was established, the Police thought it came to take over their jobs but we have been able to streamline between Amotekun and other security agencies and they are now working together in unity.
“I want to say it again that no administration, in the history of Oyo State, had committed more resources to the issue of security than this administration. We have the emergency contact number, 615. The number is our magic number for security. You don’t need credit on your phone to call it. You can put it on your phone as speed dial. You only need to witness somebody or the house close you being attacked before you dial it. If people are coming to complain that they dial the number and there was no prompt response, we will address it. But most times, if we ask people if they are aware of the number, they say they thought it won’t work. Please, try it at your own time as well. Just try it for the sake of convincing yourself. The number is working and the people are at alert. We also went into voluntary policing arrangement where you don’t have to be a policeman. We have people that have volunteered and we are working with them. After we have done all we can, we will hand over everything to God because we are only human”, he added.
The Governor assured the people of the state that his administration would continue to work to ensure that lives and property remain safe and secure.
He said, “Let me also assure the people of Oyo State that we will continue to work to ensure that our communities are safe and secure. You know we cannot have a perfect system but we will continue to perfect the system for the benefit of all of us”.
Extolling Pastor Emmanuel, whom he said has touched many lives positively, Makinde was guided by Psalm 90:12, which urged mankind to number their days in wisdom.
He said, “In truth, as we cross each year in our lives, we need to think more about acting in wisdom. When I look at the large turnout of worshippers here, it is a manifestation that our father has been touching lives”.
