Oyo State Government has commenced the installation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at some black spots and business districts in Ibadan metropolis.

Mr Femi Adedipe, Executive Secretary, Oyo State Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF), disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had embarked on the project as part of measures to enhance the security architecture of the city.

Adedipe said that the state government had announced the introduction of call centres and toll-free lines through which security agencies could avail security information from the public at no cost to them.

He stated that government had also commenced the collection of security levy from business premises, churches, mosques and corporate organisations in the state, with an estimated income of about N2b annually.

Oyedipe added that government has commenced a project christened “Light Up Ibadan” through which street light would be installed in major roads within the city.

According to him, all these are parts of the Safe City Project being executed by the state government to enhance the security apparatus of the state in terms of logistics.

“It will also enhance technical capabilities as well as nip crime and criminality in the bud.”

He stated that the CCTV cameras had already been installed in some areas in Ibadan metropolis, adding that the project would soon be extended to other areas and business districts in the city.

The Executive Secretary said that the security levy, which was expected to be collected, had already taken off in four local government areas of Ibadan.

Oyedipe listed the local government areas as Ibadan North-East, Ibadan North-West, Ibadan South-West and Ibadan North.

He commended the affected corporate bodies for their response rate to the clarion call by the government for them to partner with it in its efforts at providing adequate security for the lives and property of the citizenry.

“It is apparent that no government can single-handedly shoulder the huge responsibility of funding security.

For this reason, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi-led administration decided to set up Oyo State Security Trust Fund in 2012.

“This is to serve as an avenue through which funds could be raised for the improvement of the security architecture of the state.

“It is also in furtherance of this that government introduced one per cent security tax on all the contracts executed on behalf of state government.

This has also assisted the Security Trust Fund in the past years.

“I am convinced that by the time the security levy is spread to all the local governments across the state, close to N2 billion would be raked in annually to complement government’s efforts,” he said.

Oyedipe pointed out that a large expanse of land had been set aside at the Trans Amusement Park in Ibadan for the sighting of solar power for the “Light Up Ibadan” project.

He said that the project would gulp about N750 million.

He also said that the project is in phases, adding that it had received a boost from the CBN through the donation of N50 million while other commercial banks also assisted with the sum of N250 million.

The Executive Secretary said that OYSSTF had donated 2,000 safety helmets to commercial motorcycle riders across the state.

According to him, OYSSTF has also embarked on regular repairs of operational vehicles of the various security agencies and the state security outfit codenamed ‘’Operational Burst’’ to enhance their efficiency.

He assured the people that the government would continue to do its best to ensure the security of lives and property through a well-coordinated security arrangement and public-private partnership in security funding. (NAN)

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