The South West Governors’ Forum has agreed to establish a joint surveillance monitoring team which will oversee and coordinate security efforts across the region.
They took the decision at a closed-door meeting held at Lagos House, Ikeja on Thursday.
This is to combat insecurity, to ensure growth and development of the region.
The governors also agreed to set up a Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team, which will be able to foster inter-state collaboration and to mitigate food inflation.
The Forum’s meeting, hosted by its Chairman and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was attended by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Ademola Adeleke (Osun).
Reading the 11-point communiqué at the meeting to newsmen, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the Forum strongly condemned ISWAP activities and the threat posed by them in parts of the South-West, but quickly enjoined enhanced collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and local security outfits.
The governor urged them to remain vigilant, expressing the Forum’s commitment to taking necessary actions to counter these threats.
“The Forum agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance Monitoring Team to oversee and coordinate security efforts across the South West region.
“As part of this resolution, the Forum has committed to deploying advanced technology, including aerial surveillance systems, to enhance security operations.
“Additionally, the Forum resolved that its Special Advisers on Security should collaborate on intelligence gathering and sharing between State security agencies, local security networks, and federal law enforcement authorities among South-West States,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Lagos State Governor, while speaking on food inflation, expressed the Forum’s concern over the activities of unscrupulous middlemen who he said deliberately inflated prices of goods and commodities in South-West markets.
He said that towards that end, agreement was reached to establish a State Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team and also the establishment of Aggregation Centre/Food Hubs to foster inter-state collaboration and mitigate food inflation.
