The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on service personnel in military commands in the State to be fully committed to their constitutional responsibilities of keeping the peace and strengthening security.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made the call at the Lagos House Marina when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Farouk Yahaya, on a courtesy visit.
The Army Chief who was accompanied by top military officers in the State is in Lagos on an assessment tour of the military formations and warfare assets.
Governor Sanwo-Olu who pledged that Lagos would not waive its mandate to provide logistics support to all security agencies for continuous operations across the State, advised the personnel to justify the confidence with improvement in security and urged the Army Chief to build on the collaboration with Lagos Government in the area of intelligence sharing and rapid response to curb kidnapping, vandalism and other peculiar security challenges.
The Governor said it was important to prioritize safety in Lagos, given its economic importance and geographic location as one of the country’s international borders.
He said: “Lagos has uniquely not only the land borders, it is also an international route in and out of the country through the air and waterways. The relationship we have been enjoying between the State Government and the entire security agencies, especially the Nigerian army, has been commendable. I acknowledge the leadership role being played by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division with other security agencies in raising the bar of security surveillance, training, information sharing and collaboration in operations.
“From this robust engagement, we have developed a mechanism in which every agency works in synergy with others to improve the State’s security architecture. We have continued to experience improved security, calmness and safety. But there is much that needs to be done and this requires total commitment of our personnel. We will continue to give support to the security agencies to ensure not only their safety and that of the residents, but also the safety of visitors coming to do business in Lagos.”
Gov.Sanwo-Olu commended the Army for the progress recorded in improving security across the country, especially in the Northeast where terrorists and armed bandits are being degraded under the sophisticated firepower of the military.
The Chief of Army Staff who told thankef the Governor for the support rendered to his Officers and men in Lagos disclosed that part of his mission in the State was to boost the morale of his men.
He promised to improve on the collaboration between the State and the Army.
“We will do our best to ensure security is enhanced across Lagos and other parts of the country.” he said
