Insecurity: FG Approves N13.3bn For Community Policing

….THREE GOVERNORS, IGP, SGF, FINANCE MINISTER TO COORDINATE FUNDS’ UTILIZATION

…EXCESS CRUDE NOW $72.4M, STABILISATION FUND N44.2BN

AMINA HUSSAINI

The Federal Government has approved the sum of N13.3 billion for the take-off of Community Policing initiative across the country.

This was one of the outcomes of Thursday’s virtual meeting of the National Economic Council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The meeting was attended by Governors, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq; Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, among others.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement at the end of the meeting, said the community policing is part of measures to consolidate efforts at containing the security situation in the country.

The NEC, according to Akande, directed the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi and two other governors to meet with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Finance Minister and the Inspector General of Police to “coordinate the proper utilization of the funding of the initiative.”

Governor Fayemi, who is the Chairman of the NEC’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Security and Policing, had earlier made a presentation on its assignment to the NEC.

Fayemi stated that engagement with key stakeholders on the operationalization of community policing in the country was ongoing.

“The Committee will be meeting further as the need arises to update the Council on the progress being made to address insecurity and criminality in the country,” the Ekiti State governor added.

In her presentation to the NEC, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, gave the balances in the excess crude account, stabilisation fund account, and natural resources development fund account.

She stated that the excess crude account has a balance of $72,408,119.44 as at August 18, 2020, while the stabilisation fund account has a balance of N44,207,377,110.34 in the same period.

She added that the natural resources development fund account totaled N144,047,195,020.54 as at August 18.

The NEC also received a presentation titled “Flood Disaster Risk Management in Nigeria for 2020” from the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk.

Farouk disclosed that 25% of the world’s landmass and nearly 75% of its population are at risk of flood disaster.

The minister urged the Council to:

• encourage relevant Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies to take necessary actions in support of the process, and
• request States to take proactive and necessary mitigative measures in addressing the envisaged 2020 flood disaster even in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic.