Public-private partnership vital to curb Nigeria’s insecurity- experts

Security experts have advocated for increased public-private partnerships (PPP) to check Nigeria’s rising insecurity challenges.

The experts, who spoke at the ongoing Securex West Africa exhibition & conference, agreed that curbing the insecurity was necessary for the public and private sectors to jointly drive economic development.

Sylvester Alabi, Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos Command, in his address said no meaningful development and sustainable economic growth could take place in a society where adequate security is not guaranteed.

Alabi, represented by Taiwo Oyewale, a divisional police officer (DPO) at the Bar-Beach division, Victoria Island, submitted that securing public spaces in Nigeria was increasingly becoming problematic and tasking, due to the erratic, sophisticated, and unprecedented lethality of criminality in the country.

“The advancement of society requires that the police become more innovative and more efficient with better equipment and modern technological tools in order to adequately provide the services and security that people desire,” he said.

Alabi said equipping a 21st-century police organisation was very expensive, which underscores private sector support to the Nigeria Police Force in acquiring and maintaining modern technologies and law enforcement tools for improved public safety and internal security in Nigeria.

Kabir Adamu, CEO, Beacon Consulting, said that the various agencies and departments of the government already operate a high level of security analysis but there is more to be done in terms of data gathering and analysis, as well as getting information.

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“There is an improvement in the level of engagement between the public and private sector, however, we can do more,” Ikemesit Effiong, head of research at SBM Intelligence said.

Effiong added that security agencies can make use of reports and information provided by consulting agencies to implement a viable framework to address the rising insecurity.

George Pearson, regional director, Afrocet Montgomery, the organisers of the event, said the conference themed ‘unveiling strategic solutions for protecting critical national infrastructure utility security and identifying key solutions for Nigeria’s cities transition to smart and future capability’ was aimed at providing a 360 solution approach for the public and private sector.