The Remaking Of Security In Enugu State

Those who make history often do not immediately grasp the depth of impact their actions would have on humanity.

I can sense the unfolding of a remarkable legacy before us, something that looks certain to outlive us, inspire generations, and be cited always as a reference on the power of collaboration – especially between the state, the people and corporate organizations.

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Let me start by expressing my profound gratitude to the Board of Trustees of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund, for the time and zeal they have committed to nurturing this idea to reality.

I’m particularly delighted by the devotion and inspiring leadership demonstrated by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Ike Chioke, and the Executive Secretary, Engr. Chinedu Joseph Ani.

You have, alongside other members of the Board, laid out a practical template for collaboration between the state, the private sector and literally everyone, towards creating a formidable funding structure for our security needs.

Your names will always be etched in gold and celebrated, whenever the labour of love that defined your collective work is recalled.

I’m also immensely grateful to Engr. Arthur Eze, for graciously accepting to be the Chief Launcher at this epoch-making event.

Yours is a name that inspires pride, and we are proud to be associated with you. You are a pillar of industry, a man with a lifetime commitment to noble causes.

Thank you, sir, for once again leading by example and lending support to a very worthy project.

I began this speech on a very optimistic note. However, it wasn’t typically a cheery experience speaking about the security situation in Enugu State 20 months ago.

Let’s try and recall for a moment what the ever-bustling Ogui Road looked like on a Monday morning about 20 months ago. The entire stretch was a picture of desolation as business premises – from banks to retail shops – remained shut for the entire day.

Of course, it wasn’t a decision borne out of personal choice. They were compelled to do so by the so-called “sit-at-home” order issued by a criminal gang.

At this time on Ogui Road then, the only sound you may possibly hear is the cry of a child in an apartment. You could indeed imagine the anxious parents consumed by fear as they tried to calm the child.

I’ve listened to parents recount the heart-wrenching tale of how their children could not sit for some subjects in a national examination, because those subjects had been slated for Mondays. I received countless messages from parents who lamented how their children could not secure university admission, on account of having not written a compulsory subject required for admission.

The complaints were mostly relating to Mathematics, because the subject had been scheduled on a Monday. This was a common experience. I’m sure if we sampled opinions, there would likely be someone here who knows a family where a child had experienced such cruel fate.

Attacks on security officials almost became the norm, with a significant number of personnel fatalities as a sad reminder of that grim era. Back then, criminals gleefully posted bodies of security personnel and the arms they had stolen through their brazenly regular attacks.

But what difference 20 months make! Such wanton attacks have been pushed to the darkest recess of history. We have gained control of our streets. The outlaws who once held our people hostage have either been neutralized or fled.

We have substantially reduced crime rate. Statistics attesting to that abound. We can further glimpse this in the fact that night life has returned in full swing. Streets that were desolate and deserted have regained their groove.

I still remember a phone call I got at a very odd hour. I thought there was an emergency. It wasn’t an emergency after all. The excited caller was at a popular social spot, and was eager to show me live footage of bustling night life via his phone.

The pleasant experience arising from the vastly improved security is widespread: The businessman who could not open his shop and incurred losses as a result has found the confidence to do so; the child, who could not go to school every Monday in the past can now confidently do so without any fear; our security men and women can now carry on their law-enforcement duties without any brazen attack. What difference there has been in 20 months! But our job is not done yet; it needs to be sustained.

The importance of security in any society can never be overstated. Our Constitution clearly emphasizes this when it notes, under the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.

So, the provision of security is a fundamental reason for the existence of the state – or governments, if you will. Security is arguably the single most important sector upon which all socio-economic goals of states and nations rest. It can make or mar our dreams.

Few things incentivize enterprise as much as a reassuring sense of security. Conversely, nothing kills the spirit of enterprise as fast as a prevailing air of insecurity. We can indeed say that security and development have become inextricably intertwined in the world that we live in today. Investing in development projects without a corresponding investment in security is akin to spending vast sums to build a livestock farm, but yet leaving the doors of the pen open to wolves.

These points and anecdote resonate particularly for us, because at the heart of our audacious growth plan is the goal to make Enugu State the premier destination for investment, leisure and living. Our targets to make Enugu the conferencing capital of Africa and, also, attract three million annual tourists will seem like mere posturing if those tourists do not feel sufficiently safe on the streets and in their hotels.

Securing businesses, keeping the people safe, and improving their welfare are our primary motivation. And it is consistent with the pledge I made while seeking the people’s mandate. We have invested substantially in securing our state, and continue to do so, because there are no half measures in the fight against insecurity.

The various security measures we have put in place underscore this conviction. You actually do not have to search for our interventions in security. They literally stare you in the face. The Enugu State Command and Control Centre is a logistical novelty built via cutting-edge innovation comparable to what exists in more advanced countries. It was a moment of pride for us when it was commissioned in January to national acclaim, by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Even when no security official is in sight, our round-the-clock surveillance system that covers our streets and neighbourhoods still ensures strict vigilance. The ultimate goal is to nip crime in the bud.

This crime-fighting device is complemented by the Distress Response Squad, designed to react swiftly to any security breach or threat of it. It is also further boosted by a large fleet of 150 security vehicles embedded with AI-enhanced cameras deployed across the state. The reassuring sense of security that these measures guarantee should not be for a moment in time only. It is important for it to exist at all time. This is crucial to the attainment of our ambition to grow Enugu State to become a $30 billion economy.

But enthroning a water-tight security, such as we are implementing in Enugu State, requires a humongous amount of funds to sustain. I dare say, there’s hardly any state that can solely handle such responsibility. The Enugu State Security Trust Fund is therefore a child of necessity. Its emergence is rooted in the increasing realization that an active civic engagement of citizens, offers more enduring solutions to pressing social exigencies normally exclusively borne by the government.

We are thus witnessing a civic rebirth in Enugu State. I strongly believe this is the day that the timeless campaign that security is everyone’s business finally sinks in. The old saying “all for one and one for all” easily comes to mind here. However, while we take unrelenting steps to squash criminality and threats to businesses, it is just as vital to adopt some non-kinetic strategies.

It is in this regard that the influence of our traditional rulers and towns union ought to shine forth as moral beacons of the grassroots.

The non-kinetic approach should involve constant enlightenment to sensitize the people on the importance of being security conscious. Eternal vigilance by everyone is a boost for security.

As a government, we are wholly committed to the values of accountability, and do not view any demand for it as an irritant. This citizen-funded initiative will further widen the doors of transparency. Let us donate, buoyed by the knowledge that we are giving to a worthy cause. Let us donate fuelled by the knowledge that we are collectively building the future we desire – and deserve. Let us donate, knowing that the future we dream of is one ruled by certainties – not one ruled by fear.

This of course includes the certainty that business owners need to flourish, knowing that they no longer have to take extra measures to secure their businesses, which increased their operational costs in the past.

No one should be overcome with anxiety whenever they think about travelling to their country-home. This is what we envision; this is what collective action can achieve.

Such collective resolve will ensure that the target of N20 billion we have set for the Security Trust Fund this year, will not only be achieved – but surpassed.

I congratulate everyone gathered here. You are all makers of a proud history and witnesses to its birth.

God bless Enugu State.

Tomorrow is here!

– Being  a speech delivered by Governor Mbah during the fundraising dinner organized by the Enugu State Security Trust Fund