FASHOLA

Fashola Meets With Neighbourhood Watch.

In the continued effort of his administration to improve security and environmental sanitation in the State, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, met with members of the State’s Neighbourhood Watch, Community Development Councils and Community Development Associations.
The meeting was to sensitise them on their roles in the implementation of government policies, especially at the grassroots.
The meeting, which took place at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos House, Alausa, had in attendance 377 Watchers, representing the 377 wards of the state, 114 Neighourhood Coordinators officers, seven State Coordinators and 57 Community Development Council Chairmen, representing the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas as well as chairmen of Community Development Associations in the state.
Before the meeting went into close session, Governor Fashola who welcomed all the participants to the meeting, thanked them on behalf of all elected officials in Lagos State for their assistance in enabling the administration deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
The Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi, while answering questions from newsmen on the meeting said the governor charged the watchers with the responsibility of providing information to the police and other relevant government agencies on the issue of security and environmental sanitation.
According to him, the governor was particular in soliciting the support of the CDCs and CDAs to ensure that the state is kept clean as well as to ensure that the state is secured, pointing out that when the state is kept clean and secure, investors would come in thereby creating jobs for the unemployed in the state.
He gave a commitment that the new term of the administration would witness increased activities as it will not rest on its oars, stating that a trip round all parts of the state would reveal that developmental work has not stopped in any part of the state.
Answering questions from Government House Correspondents after the meeting, Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello said the meeting centred on the need for the Neighbourhood Watchers, the CDCs and the CDA’s to assist the government in the areas of crime detection and prevention, maintenance of clean environment and protection of State Government facilities.
The Commissioner, who noted that there is a seeming increase in crime immediately after the general elections, said the Watchers, the CDCs and CDAs were charged to provide useful information to the police to enable them prevent crime, pointing out that they were best positioned to detect criminals in their communities.
Also speaking with newsmen on the meeting, Commissioner for Special Duties, Wale Ahmed said the meeting looked at ways of introducing some security measures at the grassroots level.
Also addressing the newsmen after the meeting, the Chief Neighbourhood Watcher, Musiliu Sanni, said the members of the Neighbourhood Watch will try their best and also seek the permission of the governor to meet all the royal fathers and let them realise that matters of security is the responsibility not only of the police or Neighbourhood Watch members but everyone.
The State Chairman of the Community Development Committee Kolawole. Dosunmu while also speaking with newsmen said the duty of the members is to disseminate all the information received at the meeting to the people at the grassroots level.