TheCable

Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, has inaugurated the state security trust fund to fight insecurity.

Speaking during the inauguration on Tuesday, in Enugu, the state capital, Mbah said the setting up of the fund is in line with his administration’s promise to secure lives and property. 

The governor also inaugurated an 11-member board of trustees (BOT) of the trust fund chaired by Ike Chioke, an investment banker and group managing director of Afrinvest Trustees Limited, while Chinedu Anih was appointed as the executive secretary.

Mbah said the state’s projected security expenditure for 2024 stands at N20 billion, noting that the government is counting on private sector support in that regard.

He assured residents that insecurity would soon become a thing of the past as his administration intends to also deploy CCTV cameras across the state to monitor crimes. 

He commended members of the board, adding that the establishment of the security trust fund will redouble the state’s effort in the fight against insecurity.

“The Security Trust Fund is in line with what we have expressed in our manifesto when we were seeking the mandate of our people to serve them,” Mbah said.

“We promised them that Enugu will be one of the top three states in terms of GDP and of course, we said it is going to happen from private sector investment; and attracting private sector investment requires that you have the enabling environment.

“This was why we immediately made certain consequential pronouncements and took emphatic steps in addressing our insecurity challenges. We set up the Distress Response Squad. We are deploying CCTV across our city, and making sure that we have a central Command and Control Centre where we can monitor all that is going on and to prevent crimes.

“We work to prevent crimes but have also put in place adequate measures and facilities to be able to identify, track, capture and defeat the criminals involved if there is any breach of security of any kind.

“So, the inauguration of this Security Trust Fund today is going to redouble our efforts in the fight against insecurity in the state.”

On his part, Chioke, the BOT Chairman, commended Mbah for activating the security trust fund four years after it was signed into law.  

He assured that the appointees will work to deliver on their mandate, adding that the recent move shows the state government’s commitment to ensure Enugu is safe for business and citizens.