Gov. Obaseki and the AIG Zone 5, Abubakar Mohammed

Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Edo state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has described a secured environment as “the most important factor in attracting investment.”

This is even as he noted that once investors are sure their lives and properties are safe and that they can attract and execute contracts without fear of insecurity, they will be willing to do business with the State.

The Governor who said this in Benin on Wednesday while playing host to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, (AIG) Zone Five, Abubakar Muhammad, at the Government House, assured that his administration is ready to do everything humanly possible to guarantee security in the state by supporting the State Police Command.

He said: “We spend 8 years to build the foundation of this state and now, we are consolidating. We need external investors in the state and we need security for safety of lives and properties.

“For us, security is number one and we will do everything to support the police because our survival is on that. We will want to work with you very closely. However, I want to commend the existing cooperation of the police with government and I want to sue for its sustenance.

“I’m saying you couldn’t come at an opportune time because as a government we are very clear on where we are going. We have spent the last eight years laying the foundations for economic and social take off. We have built infrastructure like roads and schools and now we need to consolidate on those development for the future and to do it we are also aware that we have to rely on our own internal resources and to leverage those internal resources, we need to attract investors and investments.

“My other life was about working on investment and attracting investors and I know that a single most important factor in attracting investment into any area is security. It is not the money. That is why we are very excited that we have you.”

The Governor who admitted that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria vests the responsibility of internal security with the Nigeria Police, emphasized the imperative for concerted effort because the Police cannot do it alone.

He therefore harped on community policing arrangement with particular emphasis on intelligence gathering, adding: “As a State, we will be rolling out our own internal security plan which will be linked to the federal plan.

“Edo is changing Nigeria. Edo has a new king. We do that once in a generation. We are blessed this year to witness one of the most colourful regal events of the continent and by the grace of God, we had what we could determine a defining election in Edo State, an election that has defined the democratic direction of this country. It could be defined from different perspectives.

“First, we are having people whom you will not term core politicians, that are professionals, people who are accomplished in other phases of life, who are now coming into politics to participate and therefore expand the political space. It’s unfortunate that we are having a transition in the sense that we are moving from that era where politics was one excessively driven by violence.

“The last set of elections before the one in Edo, we know the amount of bloodshed that occurred. Thanks to you, to your men and other people of goodwill, we were able to have what we call a defining election in Nigeria when it took another turn when no one life was lost. That feat has now be repeated in Ondo and we are hoping to see that trend continue. When this becomes the trend, then you find out that other good people; people who mean well, who want to participate in politics will now begin to see politics differently – so that is also defining,” Obaseki said.

Earlier in his speech, the new AIG, Mr. Muhammad, disclosed that they were in Government House, Benin City to introduce themselves to the Governor and acquaint him with the activities of the Zone.

He said, “Our coming today is to introduce ourselves and to tell what the Zone is all about because you have the Command with you. The CP is here. You are aware that the Zone covers three states; Edo, Delta and Bayelsa and what we do in the Zone is not to duplicate what the Commissioners of Police are doing in the States but to supervise, coordinate and support the activities of the three Commissioners of Police and one of our responsibilities is to liaise with the State governors in terms of how to strategize to suppress crime within each State.”

The new AIG Zone Five thanked Governor Obaseki for the tremendous support that the State Police Command had been given in terms of infrastructure and gave assurance that the Zonal Command would improve on the security situation in the state adding that it would not allow any form of criminal infiltration from other parts of the country and economic sabotage in the state and sued for continuous support so that the officers and men would perform their duties maximally.