Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state, on Tuesday, inaugurated an 11-member board of the state Security Trust Fund, in efforts to build on the successes achieved in the security of lives and property in the state.
The governor put the state’s projected security expenditure for 2024 at N20 billion, which he said the government was counting on the private sector’s support to implement.
The inauguration of the trust fund followed the amendment to the enabling law, which was enacted in 2020 but was not activated.
A statement on Tuesday by the governor’s media office said the board of the security trust fund would be chaired by the Group Managing Director of Afrinvest Trustees Limited, Mr Ike Chioke; while Mr Chinedu Anih was appointed the Executive Secretary.
Inaugurating the board on Tuesday, Mbah commended the board members for accepting to serve the state with their wealth of experience and contacts.
He said, “The Security Trust Fund is in line with what we have expressed in our manifesto when we were seeking the mandate of our people to serve them. We promised them that Enugu will be one of the top three states in terms of GDP and, of course, we said it is going to happen from private sector investment; and attracting private sector investment requires that you have the enabling environment.
“So, the inauguration of this SecurityTrust Fu nd today is going to redouble our efforts in the fight against insecurity in the state”.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, also on Tuesday, signed the Kaduna State Security Trust Fund Bill 2024 in a bid to tackle the rising wave of insecurity in the state.
According to a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu, the bill repealed the State Security Trust Fund Law No. 22 of 2018.
Sani said the signing into law of the bill was a clear demonstration of his administration’s resolve “towards degrading terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements who have been laying siege to some communities in the state”.
According to the governor, the Security Trust Fund will enable the state government to support local and federal security agencies with equipment and logistics.
“Additionally, security personnel will be trained and retrained to respond effectively to current and emerging security threats.
“Funds would also be devoted to psychological operations, aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the people”, the governor added.
He appealed to corporate organisations and public-spirited individuals to donate generously to the fund.
“Security is everybody’s business. We must join hands to uproot the evil elements destroying our local economies and the livelihoods of our people”, he said.
