The renowned Social Critic and Human Rights Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has commended Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and the General Manager of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) for their effort to keep Lagos safe and secure.
Falana gave the commendation on Monday during his visit to the Headquarters of LNSA at Bolade-Oshodi, acknowledging the efforts of the Lagos State Government in the area of Community Policing through the Agency.
He expressed his surprise at the various equipment and manpower that the LNSA is using for community policing across the metropolis, promising to support the Agency in its bid to get better and actualise its mandate. The Human Rights Lawyer, however, advised the organisation to improve its media presence to carry the people along and inform them about its contributions to making Lagos safe for everybody.
The Social Critic enjoined the Agency to ensure a robust recruitment process that will guarantee that only people with credible and traceable backgrounds are employed to protect the Corps from infiltration in order to preserve its integrity.
Earlier, the General Manager of LNSA, Prince (Dr.) Ifalade Oyekan, Fsin, while welcoming the revered human rights activist to the Agency, outlined the mandate and responsibilities of the Agency.
According to Oyekan, “Upon his appointment, he and his management team developed a roadmap on how to achieve the directive of the Governor to rebrand the Agency and ensure its readiness as a State Police within two years”.
He said the roadmap has informed the various innovations seen in the agency so far, stressing that there is still more improvement to come as the agency continues to mix advanced human resources and technology to build a prime organisation that can compete with its peers globally.
The General Manager said the strength of the Agency lies in its spread and grassroots knowledge of the officers who effectively operate in their localities with the aid of advanced technologies. He also said the Agency has widened its scope of operations with the establishment of the Marine Corps, the Forest Rangers, and the forensic unit, among others.
Oyekan said the Agency has developed GPRS capabilities and other monitoring mechanisms to ensure that its Corps Officers deliver value for money, especially as the Government recently raised the minimum wage of public officers in the State.
He also told the visitor that the Agency has played down the use of lethal weapons to preserve its civility and keep the confidence of the population of Lagos.
Mr. Femi Falana, who was later shown around the Agency’s facilities, including the Headquarters of the Anti-Human Trafficking task force attached to the LNSA, by the General Manager, was also decorated as an Ambassador of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency.
