A major takeaway from the recent developments in the country is a need to build a stronger and more viable policing system that prioritises the welfare of officers and men of the police, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said on Friday.
The Governor however commended the president for acting fast to review the salary of policemen as part of his responses to the recent #EndSARS protest.
“One of the lessons from the EndSARS and the subsequent events is that police is our first line of defence (as a society). We therefore need to work more on the welfare of the policemen,” AbdulRazaq told a delegation of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) as part of his ongoing engagements with various stakeholders in the state.
The delegation was led by Mrs Elizabeth Egbetokun, chairperson of POWA and wife of the Kwara State Police Commissioner Kayode Egbetokun. The delegation was accompanied by the police spokesman in the state Superintendent of Police Okasanmi Ajayi.
The governor commended the efforts of the police and other security agencies in the recent disturbance.
“We need a strong, viable Police Force to maintain security. That is our first line of defence in Nigeria. Police are the one in the front and we need to take care of you as part of the police family. We cannot leave everything in the hands of the federal government. That is why I called this meeting on how to move forward,” the Governor said.
“What has happened in other states, following the #EndSARS protest, is unimaginable. Some police officers were killed, police formations and installations were damaged or burnt in some cases, correctional centres were invaded and prisoners were released. We thank God we do not have such havoc in Kwara State.
“We appreciate the effort of the Police and other security agencies in Kwara because the state is one of the safest in Nigeria.”
Responding to some of the requests of the POWA delegation, AbdulRazaq said he would move quickly to solve the water crisis in their barracks.
“We will look into your requests immediately so that we can start seeing the benefits of this interface. One of the interventions to start with is the issue of water which is a major concern. We will engage you more to know the exact locations to sink boreholes.
Mrs Egbetokun, for her part, commended the Governor for taking interest in the activities of the POWA.
“Your Excellency I know you have gone round our barracks and you have seen our challenges. I want to bring to your attention also that we have vocational training centre in Ilorin which is under construction and we need the support of the government to complete it,” she said.
“We have 15 police barracks in Kwara State and six out of these are in Ilorin metropolis that need boreholes. Kindly look into this so that the police family can have potable water to drink.”
