Uyo plays host to Zonal Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Public Safety/ Security

The Ministerial Committee on the Development of a National Policy on Public Safety and Security has organised a stakeholders’ zonal consultative forum recently in Uyo for states in the South – South Geopolitical Zone.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Police Affairs, James Obiegbu in his address said that the workshop was one in the series of planned search for a focused, workable and robust national policy on public safety and security. Adding, the policy would be a guide and pathway towards ensuring the provision of enduring policies on public safety and security in Nigeria.

James Obiegbu indicated that the policy when developed is expected to assign specific roles and responsibilities to individuals, communities, relevant agencies and the tiers of government towards ensuring peace and security in the society. “Based on international best practices and overall framework for the implementation and declaration of the stakeholders to be involved in public safety and security, it would provide proper synergy between the relevant agencies in public safety and security as well as other stakeholders,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary further explained that the individual and collective contributions during the workshop would help to provide insights for the formulation of an effective national policy.

The chairman of the session, who is also lead facilitator of the forum, Femi Odekunle identified the focus and objectives of the forum to include: provision of the roles and action guidelines for security agencies, corporate entities, communities and individuals with regard to public safety and security; assigning roles and responsibilities to both formal and informal stakeholders in matters pertaining to public safety and internal security; ensuring appropriately streamlined engagements and roles of engagement of security agencies in public safety issues; recommending efficient resources mobilization, utilization and synchronization in matters relating to public safety and security and suggesting the road map for security agencies and other stakeholders towards the attainment of optimum public safety and internal security in the country.

Declaring the consultative forum opened, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio thanked the organizers for the choice of Akwa Ibom State for the forum. He promised to collaborate with security agencies in the State to ensure sustained public safety and security and wished the participants fruitful and happy deliberations.

The Paramount Ruler of Itu Local Government Area, Edet Akpan Inyang in a goodwill message on behalf of traditional institutions in the State commended the organisers for giving a thought to security which he described as a major national malaise in the present day. He also pleaded that decisions from the consultative forum should be implemented for the good of the society.

The one-day consultative forum was attended by government officials from the Prisons Service, Customs, the State Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Emergency Management Agency, National Identity Management, NAFDAC, NAPTIP, the Federal Fire Service, NDLEA, NCWS, ASUU, CAN, NUJ, NARTO, NURTW, NANS, Islamic Associations, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, NGOs, CLOs and interested members of the public.