****Joint surveillance, technology boost for Amotekun; Creation of food hub in each state to bring down prices
Southwest governors have risen in unison to secure the region and prevent the infiltration of fleeing bandits and terrorists into their towns and villages.
Because of the heat under which the military has put bandits and terrorists in the Northwest, some of them who escaped the attacks are heading South.
In recent months, there have been reports of bandits being discovered in Southwest forests, especially in Ondo and Ekiti, which share a boundary with Kogi State.
The Northern part of Oyo State has also reported the movement of suspected terrorists.
On Thursday, the six governors in the geo-political zone were hosted to a meeting at Alausa, Ikeja.
They resolved to commence joint surveillance and give full backing to Amotekun with shared intelligence and the use of technology.
All the governors – Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) – attended the meeting.
“The forum has agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance and Monitoring Team to enhance security across the Southwest.
“This will involve advanced technology, including aerial surveillance systems, as well as intelligence-sharing between state security agencies, local security networks, and federal law enforcement,” Sanwo-Olu said while reading the communiqué.
The deployment of technology is a follow-up to the intense anti-terrorism activities which each of the states embarked upon in the wake of the threat of bandits’ infiltration into the zone.
It was learnt that the issue of security of lives and property and food security dominated the meeting.
Members of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) were at the meeting to brief the governors on their activities in all the sectors, including agriculture, industrialisation and empowerment.
Each of the governors, it was also learnt, spoke on efforts in the provision of food to prevent price hikes and reduce inflation.
On food security, the governors resolved to develop food hubs in all six states.
“The forum is deeply concerned about the activities of unscrupulous middlemen inflating food prices.
“We are committed to inter-state collaboration to mitigate inflation and ensure affordability for our people,” the communiqué added.
To address soaring food prices, the governors agreed to establish a state food inflation joint monitoring team and set up aggregation centres/food hubs across the region.
Other decisions included picking Ibadan as the headquarters of the newly-created Southwest Development Commission (SWDC).
The office is to be located in the Cocoa House, which is the headquarters of Odu’a Investments – the conglomerate jointly owned by the six states.
They also lauded the DAWN Commission for its improved performance in the last year and urged further collaboration on industrialisation and infrastructural development.
The governors congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa on his victory.
They commended the Federal Government for establishing the SWDC.
Additionally, they praised Odu’a Investment Company Ltd for managing regional assets efficiently, citing the redevelopment of Premier Hotel, Ibadan, and the planned redevelopment of Lagos Airport Hotel.
They expressed appreciation for President Bola Tinubu’s administration, highlighting economic stability, petroleum supply, and exchange rate improvements.
The forum also commended the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and urged Southwest students in tertiary institutions to take full advantage of it.
Reaffirming their commitment to peace and economic development in the Southwest, they called on residents to support regional progress initiatives.
Before Thursday’s meeting, the governors met in June last year, also in Lagos, where they unanimously appointed Sanwo-Olu as the chairman.
