LAGOS POLICE COMMAND WEARS NEW LOOK AS “THE MOST FORMIDABLE,” PCRC IMPLEMENTS CP ALABI’S DIGITAL GATE IDEA
• OGUNSAN, OLANIYAN, OTHERS LAUD COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
By Oki Samson
If you visited Lagos State Police Command anytime before this week, you will not recognize it again. This is because the erstwhile analog, old-model gate in front of the Command has been replaced. National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report that this is coming on the heels of the challenge posed by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba to his senior officers with his immense effort which is bringing facelift to Police posts, stations, and offices across the federation.
Now adorned by a digital gate, the Lagos Police Command is befitting of Nigeria’s centre of excellence. The idea of the gate was conceived by the Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Sylvester Abiodun Alabi in his 10-month stay at Ikeja. NAOSNP can inform that the Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Lagos state will however not allow him implement it as they took up the pet project and named it after him. They also got a generator alongside to power the environment in case there is no electricity.
The project was commissioned yesterday at the Lagos Police Command, Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Speaking on the ‘analog-turned-digital’ gate, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi noted: ‘Today is a remarkable day for us. I want to appreciate what PCRC has been doing for this Command. When I came, I realized that the gate needs to be given a facelift because it is becoming obsolete and I was discussing it with my O/C Works. Fortunately, Apostle Kehinde Showemimo was in my office and he just keyed into our discussion that PCRC can take it up. I said if that his wish of the PCRC, it is a welcome development. They started the project in earnest and that is what we are seeing today. In addition, they gave us generator to power electricity in our environment.’
‘I have said it at different forum that in my career serving the Nigeria Police, I will say that Lagos PCRC is the most formidable. They have done wonderfully well. Beyond projects, they are involved in training and retraining of our personnel, information and intelligence gathering which has helped us to make Lagos relatively peaceful. So the success in Lagos is not only the Police efforts, it is the collective efforts of PCRC’, CP Alabi said.
Sharing his own side of the ‘analog-turned-digital’ gate, the Chairman of Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Lagos state, Apostle Kehinde Showemimo said: ‘We appreciate God for giving us the opportunity to serve our nation. It is community service in the area of security. We need to motivate the officers, provide the enabling environment for them to work, and also training of officers. These are essentials in accomplishing the goal of a safer environment.’
‘The former gate doesn’t befit the Lagos State Command. Lagos is the centre of excellence, there should be something excellent as a gate so we contributed money from our hard-earned money to put this gate together and we thank God that we have succeeded and are commissioning it. I appreciate the Commissioner of Police who always have the zeal to have a better place wherever he steps on. We decided that this gate should be named after him – CP Abiodun Alabi Gate Compex. We also make digital light available on the gate and got generator in case there is no light’, he told NAOSNP.
Further, Showemimo hinted: ‘My motivation is that I don’t want to sit and complain. I want to put in my effort and give my input to sustain security and improve policing in the nation. We put in our best within the limit of our resources to improve in terms of training, logistics, etc. We do our best in our own time. We thank God.’
On his part, the Patron of Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Lagos state and Member of the Board of Trustees, Lagos State Securiity Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan shared: ‘For me leadership is everything. If you want nations, institutions, families that excel, everything starts from leadership. What you see in Lagos state is a reflection of the quality of who CP Alabi is. When you are good in what you do, your followers will do same. When you lead well, you will attract good things. I am so happy to be associated with the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State and I am sure PCRC is also. This is just the beginning.’
‘I am also happy to be associated with the PCRC. I hardly accept responsibility but the short time I have been with you, I have seen your signature in virtually every aspect of the state police. More grace, more strength, leadership is everything. What you are doing in Lagos state is highly commendable.’
Also present at the commissioning of the gate project was the National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Alhaji Mogaji Olaniyan. He said: I have to commend the IGP Usman Alkali Baba for leading the Police in the right direction. We also appreciate the IGP because if he got it wrong in Lagos state, it is all over. I thank Almighty Allah for his life, I know him as ACP in Ekiti state where he was the pillar of PCRC. Even up till now, he is still a pillar for PCRC in the state.’
‘I have to commend IGP Usman Alkali Baba for giving us the personality of CP Alabi which befits this state and we can see how everywhere is peaceful and how Police in Lagos is policing with human face. You can also see how PCRC and Police are working like twin brother. Showemimo is complementing the efforts of the CP. I also commend the PCRC under the leadership of Amb. Dr. Farouk Abdullahi Abdulrahman. What we want is to do more for the Nigeria Police’, he told National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP.
Olaniyan praised CP Sylvester Abiodun Alabi, ‘We thank the CP for all your love. As the leader of PCRC in Southwest, I say he is one of the best Commissioners of Police in Nigeria. I have my report across the 6 states and I can give it to him that he is the best. We thank God for the life of our CP Alabi. He is always there to encourage PCRC in our support for the Nigeria Police. You can see a lot of projects under the chairmanship of Apostle Showemimo, it is to boost the morale of Nigeria Police in protecting the lives and properties. We can say that across the state, all your DPOs are PCRC-friendly because they know what you stand for.
‘We are also lucky as well to have one of our best as State Chairman. We sent him back from national excos to be the state chairman. I want to tell all our PCRC in the area commands to have a project named after CP Alabi. You can do it. He is an asset to us’, Alhaji Olaniyan lauded Showemimo.
Present at the commissioning of the gate project were Lagos State executives of PCRC and other leaders across the area commands and divisions. The Secretary of Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Lagos state, Jude Ndu who spoke to NAOSNP affirmed: ‘This is part of our aim and objectives. The finances come from contribution of members of PCRC, no loan from anywhere. It is the commitment and passion we have for the Police that made us do this. That is why we are encouraging community policing whereby the community will determine how they want to be policed and we have been seeing it positively in Lagos. The CP is advocating it, the CP is practicing it. He is an excellent man. All we have to do is encourage him to do more.
Lagos is safe, Lagos can be safer, it is not far-fetched. It is through the efforts of security agencies in Lagos.’
