Abuja natives seek security trust fund

Indigenous youth in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) has called for the formation of FCT Security Trust Fund as a direct response to the security challenges in the FCT.

President of the organisation, Isaac David told Blueprint Monday that they youth had already forwarded a letter the FCT Minister, Mallam Bello Mohammed on the formation of the security trust fund will serve as a robust option to combating the growing menace of violent crimes in the FCT and the seeming inability of the police and other security agencies to confront the challenge head on.

According to David, “the agency will address the problem essentially relating to logistics, mobility, communication, kitting amongst others, especially when considering the peculiar security challenges in the FCT.” 

He pointed out that security is the responsibility of the federal government, but that the cooperation of the private sector was needed to achieve the synergy.

“The idea of creating a trust fund is to access funds from government, private organisations and individuals in order to meet the operational needs of security agencies, particularly in the areas of logistics and provision of crime fighting equipment in the effective discharge of their duties. 

“This is because security agencies have suffered long years of neglect by the federal government whose primary responsibility it is to fund them.

It is important to note that the Fund will not receive any subvention from government; rather government makes donations in kind to the Fund.”

“The Fund will also ensure that all donations are properly accounted for and that its operations are transparent. In addition, the account of the trust fund will be audited by international auditing firms and published annually for public information at yearly town hall meetings on security with the minister of the FCT where the FCT STF renders its account of stewardship,” he said.

He further said the fund will be deliberately modeled as a public, private partnership (PPP) in order to create autonomy for the fund, to ease the fund of administrative processes.

“The Board of Trustees of the Fund, though appointed by the Honourable Minister, will come 80% from the private sector and operate independently of government. They shall be  notable members of the business community that use their goodwill to attract donations to the Fund.

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