Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has called on the Federal Government to increase funding to the Nigeria police to enable it perform better.
This is as the governor commissioned the Police Tactical Operations Centre in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state as part of the occasion marking his last days as the governor of Rivers.
He maintained that any government that cannot protect life and property, fight crime and makes people live happily does not have any business in governance.
Speaking at the occasion on Friday in Rumuepirikom community Wike said his administration understood the import of a well-funded police and had unrelentingly provided necessary logistics to the state command.
Such support, he noted, has strengthened the capacity of police officers to do their best in keeping crime rate at its lowest level in Rivers.
“Ours is to provide the necessary logistics and allow the police and other sister agencies to carry out their function. When you provide the enabling and conducive environment, obviously officers and men of the security agencies will put in their best”, he stated.
The governor added; “I’m sure, when the tactical team, as the CP said, move in here the environment alone will allow them to put in their best.”
He however, corrected the notion that only the federal government has the duty of fighting insecurity stressing that the essence of governance is to protect life and leaving such role for the federal government alone is a slack in responsibility of any person in government.
“If you’re a governor, you’re a chairman of local council, if you’re a president and you can’t protect life and property of citizens then you have no business to talk about governance.
“So, don’t go home and sleep that it is the responsibility of federal government to fight insecurity, no. Every tier of government has that responsibility to fight crime and make sure people live happily,” Wike said.
Inaugurating the Police Tactical Operations Centre, Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba said police officers in Rivers State were lucky because of the good working tools and conducive environment provided for them.
IGP, Baba noted that while the Nigeria police is contemplating adopting E-policing strategies, the Rivers State government has taken the lead by proving E-policing enabling equipment and centres that would make tracking, patrolling, raiding, stop and search operations possible without being on the road.
“I want to pledge that I will support this tactical operation unit with an armored personnel carrier, two gun trucks made of pickup and I will also give arms and ammunition dedicated to this place. That is our contribution at the headquarters level,” The IGP said.
The immediate past Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Effiong Okon said the Police Tactical Operations Centre provided by the Wike administration is the first in the country.
Okon listed anti-cultism, Anti-kidnapping and C4i tactical teams as the three out of the 13 Tactical Teams in Rivers that will be stationed at the centre.