2023 polls: FG promises adequate security

The forthcoming general elections will be adequately secured before, during, and after the exercise, according to the Federal Government.

In a statement released on Friday in Abuja, Me Sola Fasure, the media adviser to Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, said this.

The commitment was made by the minister during a State House Press Briefing Series that highlighted President Muhammadu Buhari’s accomplishments in the ministry.

The minister asserts that the presence of peace and security is a requirement for holding elections.

He said, “All the security agencies in the country, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are therefore, on top of their games.

“They will leave no stone unturned to provide adequate security for the conduct of free and fair elections. Therefore, Nigerians should keep their minds at rest.”

The minister also stated that there were 1.9 million Nigerian passports issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in 2022, an increase from one million in 2021.

“This is about 80 per cent increase and it is unprecedented,” he said 

Aregbrsola stated that the ministry was collaborating with NIS to continuously improve the passport processing system so that Nigerians would always receive better services.

Aregbesola provided assurance regarding the development of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) that the custodial facilities were now completely protected and that the staff members manning the facilities were now properly trained and outfitted.

“They now have the capacity to withstand and repel any form of attack.

“The Correctional Information Management System (CIMS) which captures the records and biometrics of every inmate in the custodial centres to facilitate quick dispensation of justice has been deployed in all the states of the Federation and the FCT.”

Aregbesola stated that the Federal Fire Service’s (FFS) service statistics from 2020 to the present provide cause for optimism for both individual and corporate security.

“The statistics show that the FFS responded to 10,659 fire calls, made 696 Emergency Rescues, saved 2,225 lives and an estimated property worth 25 trillion from 2020 till date.”

But he praised the NSCDC for carrying out its duty to safeguard important infrastructure and national assets.

The minister continued by saying that the NSCDC was active both on land and in the water, combating oil theft, illegal oil bunkering, and pipeline destruction.