Abdul-Azeez Adediran, the gubernatorial candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State for the upcoming 2023 elections, said he plans to make local “Area Boys” useful by giving them control of their garages.
Mr Adediran disclosed this on Sunday during the Lagos state Governorship debate organized by The Platform.
He explained that this would be done to prevent robberies and ensure direct access between the Area Boys and the State Government for intelligence and security sharing.
Furthermore, he noted that it’s time for the State Government to buy the trust of the citizens to curb insecurity.
Rehabilitation: Adediran noted that there are tools the government can use to rehabilitate “Area Boys” in the state, arguing that they can be converted for positive use.
- “As a matter of fact, what we have are area boys that can be converted into positive tools for society.
- “Especially the ones we handed the motor parks and you observe that wherever there is traffic, you see people going to rob. The day “I see anyone in charge of this garage, and notice robberies going on, I will take this ( garage) from you,” he said.
He said such plans will secure the garage as they (Area boys) are the ones making money from it.
Community Policing: He added that information sharing with the community can also make them useful, and curb insecurity, he said:
- “We need Intelligential Community Policing, to know what is happening, let them know if you give us the information they will get solutions. The moment they know they can reach out, citizens will reach out, and we go from preventive to running after them. It is about we buy the trust of the citizens of Lagos, and curbing security.”
In case you missed it: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party governorship candidate for the 2023 Governorship elections in Lagos, stated that his administration will tackle unemployment by changing the school curriculum, and giving students vocational and digital skills that can earn a decent living.
He added if elected, he would unbundle the water corporation and create a water protection policy to stop sand fillings that disrupt the flow of water, adding that a new waste management policy would focus on separation from the homes into plastic, organics and paper.