SECURITY FUNDING IN LAGOS: LSSTF CEO, BALOGUN MOOTS A NEW MODEL WHICH WILL INVOLVES ALL LAGOSIANS
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Board Member, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan; CEO/Executive Secretary, LSSTF, Dr. Adburrazaq Balogun and Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu
The energy by which the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has achieved milestones in promotion of security, peace and order for Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos is waning. Most of the successes have come from the donations of well-meaning individuals and major corporate organizations. This is not sustainable for a crucial aspect of life as security. Challenges such as donor fatigue, unfulfilled promises, lack of interest from organizations, among others have not helped either, Trek Africa Newspaper gathered. Even the concept of donation boxes in bank premises have failed.
L-R: Honorable Minister of State, Police Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Board Chairman, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti and CEO/Executive Secretary, LSSTF, Dr. Adburrazaq Balogun
This is why the Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun is seeking new funding models that will ensure that the organization can do more as a larger pool of donors is brought into the process. Although it may require legislation by the Lagos State House of Assembly, this new model will work like VAT and will ensure that all Lagosians participate in donation towards their security.
Addressing Lagosians at the 17th Townhall on Security with the Governor yesterday, the prudent administrator, Dr. Balogun noted: ‘Security is a recurrent expenditure and is also a very expensive venture. Almost all the equipment we use in Nigeria are imported materials and you all know the issue we have with inflation and foreign exchange. So we must agree among ourselves do we really want a very stable state, safe and secure for all of us and our children or just want to wake up every morning and hope for the best?’
The head of the funding agency which has impacted virtually all security agencies based in Lagos, Balogun continued: ‘How do we fund the Nigeria Police? We have done the research, we must all pay for the service even though it is a social service. All over the world, there is an indirect payment that citizens make which do not even affect them, they don’t even know they are paying it, it is a token. We pay education levies in our private schools and we don’t know what they use it for.’
‘Lagos has a population of 23 million according to Worldometer, we have the population to finance our security forces in Lagos. N500 by 15 million people is N7.5billion, N1000 by 10 million is N10 billion, we cannot continue to push the responsibility to government. We are all government, it is just that we have relinquished our sovereignty for a few people to administer’, Dr Balogun hinted about the idea which is akin to a Security Levy.