The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has admitted that the state government has been unable to achieve its plan of installing 10,000 CCTV cameras across the state.
This was made known by Governor Sanwo-Olu while speaking during a private breakfast meeting with select Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of various companies on Friday, January 30, 2026.
The event was organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) in the Ikoyi area of Lagos to raise funds for critical security needs for 2026.
What Governor Sanwo-Olu is saying
Sanwo-Olu said past interventions were well utilised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund to empower security agencies for a safe and secure environment, noting that the model has been adopted by other subnational and federal governments.
He said. “On a year-on-year basis, the Lagos State Government has never taken a back seat on its responsibility. We still fund well over 50 per cent of whatever it is that happens year-on-year. But we wanted it to be something that the private sector can trust, and they can see that their support at all times is always judiciously used. There is accountability, and the funds are transparently deployed at all times.
“We are rebuilding the Command and Control Center with state-of-the-art equipment that will be put in there. We are installing CCTV cameras. We started with a safe city model. We thought we were going to be able to do between 5,000 and 10,000 cameras for Lagos alone. We have not gone far on that, and we want to scale it up.
“We want to ensure that Lagos continues to remain secure. We want to improve the rescue ability, capacity, and capability of our first responders.”
Some of the security needs of the state include multi-purpose security helicopters and drones, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and water cannons, tactical training and infrastructural upgrade for the police, digital communication equipment and Smart CCTV Cameras, vehicles, and an ultra-modern mechanical workshop, among others.
Backstory
The Lagos State Government had, in May 2018, under the administration of the then Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, promised to deploy an additional 10,000 High-Definition CCTV cameras across the state as part of the comprehensive Smart City Programme designed to provide a 24-hour driven economy.
Announcing this, the then Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, said the smart city initiative was intended to allow the people and companies operate in a safe and secure environment, thereby creating more jobs and increasing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State.
He said, “In the second phase of the project, we will be deploying 10,000 HD cameras, world-class e-Government solution and data centre solution, one key alarm, metro fibre network to serve as backbone for communication and unified communications with smartphones for first respondent agencies such as police, fire service, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), among others.’’
Fahm said the initiative would address security, transportation, and infrastructure in a sustainable manner, adding that thousands of surveillance CCTV cameras would eventually be deployed across the length and breadth of the State.
Also, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, had in July 2019 announced at an event that the state government plans to install CCTV cameras around the city to check insecurity.
He said closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance camera systems would be employed as an additional tool in fighting crime in the state.
What you should know
The LSSTF is a public-private partnership established in 2007 to mobilize resources (cash/equipment) from the private sector and individuals to support security agencies operating in Lagos.
It focuses on enhancing operational capacity through vehicles, technology, and training for the Police, RRS, and other security outfits.
The fund seeks to bridge the funding gap in security infrastructure, ensuring a safer environment for residents and businesses.
