Governor, The State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola on Friday called on all security agents in Nigeria to remain committed, loyal and demonstrate a high level of integrity in discharging their constitutional responsibilities.
He spoke at the opening ceremony of a two-day strategic retreat organised by the Ministry of Interior, held in Ilesa.
This is even as the Interior Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola expressed optimism that the retreat would generate useful strategies that would permanently rest the menace of internal insecurity in the country, and subsequently enhance the efficiency of President Muhammadu Buhar’s internal security agenda.
Oyetola urged the security agents to regard their jobs as a national calling and service to humanity.
He called on them to regard their commitment to service as an act of rescuing the country from negative consequences of security negligence which could adversely affect all citizens, including their family members.
The governor also called for collective efforts at improving the welfare and welllbeing of security agents, describing staff welfare as central to performance.
“A motivated staff is not likely to compromise his duty. Efforts must therefore be made to ensure that the welfare of staff is taken care of.
“Security agents must regard their jobs as service to humanity and a national calling. They must therefore approach their jobs with unbridled loyalty, integrity, commitment and hard-work in the interest of the nation and posterity.
“They must remember that service to the nation is service to themselves and their families as compromise can breed security breach whose consequences are better imagined,” Oyetola said.
He further called on the people to cooperate with the security agents by providing useful information, adding that the security of their lives and property had been given priority by his administration.
“On our part as a government, we will continue to play our role in complementing the efforts of the Federal Government at ensuring internal security in our domain and its environs.
“As a way of demonstrating our commitment in this regard, we have in place committee on peaceful coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and crop farmers in the State of Osun. With the help of the committee, we have resolved over 700 cases amicably.
“It is on record that The State of Osun is the only state in Nigeria that has not recorded any act of violence to the extent of burning houses, maiming and killings usually associated with Herder/Farmer’s clashes, ” Oyetola added.
Earlier in his address, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola expressed optimism that the retreat would generate useful strategies that would permanently rest the menace of internal insecurity in the country, and subsequently enhance the efficiency of President Muhammadu Buhar’s internal security agenda.
He urged the participants to work towards using the gains of the retreat in helping Nigeria to attain everlasting peace and security for the nation.
Aregbesola thanked Governor Oyetola for the warm reception given to him and other members of the Ministry, describing him and the citizens of the state as excellent hosts.
