Lebanese Nigerian Initiative donates N10m for Lagos state security

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday received a donation of N10 million from the Lebanese Nigerian Initiative (LNI) for the State Security Trust Fund, charging the body to continue to do more for the State.


The Governor, who spoke at the
Lagos House, Ikeja when he
received the Chairman and the
directors of the LNI through the
Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello thanked the group for the initiative, adding that a lot could stil be done for the State in that regard.

“Particularly in the field of security,
there is still a lot you can still do for
us. Without the efforts of people like
you and others in the past, Lagos
would not have been where it is
today in terms of maintenance of peace and security”, he said.

The Governor added that with the
business degree of each of the
members of the LNI, the present
administration is deeply appreciative of their contribution which, according to him, is a good initiative.
He said the issue of security cannot
be left alone for government to
handle and that this was one of the
reasons that informed the clarion call to members of the organized private sector to join the State Government in ensuring that the people can sleep with their two eyes closed.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Lebanese Nigerian Initiative (LNI), Mr. Faysal El-Khalil said the members of the Lebanese community have been in Nigeria for over a century doing legitimate business.

He said the members are, through
the latest gesture, demonstrating a
reassurance of their commitment to
the determination of the present
administration to keep criminals at
bay permanently. Mr El-Khalil said the donation was about how the members of the Lebanese community can give back to the Nigerian and Lagos community which they have been operating for long.

He said in addition to the security
initiative, the LNI has also embarked
upon a project towards investing in
education by creating an
endowment fund in the American
University in Beirut where specified number of Nigerians would be
beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the State Government, through the LSSTF, on Thursday donated 100 hundred level four bullet proof vests and ballistic helmets to the State Command of Nigerian Police. Speaking during the donation which was received by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr.

Fatai Owoseni, Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Abdulrazak Balogun said the massive support to security agencies in the State was part of the
strategy of Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode-led administration at
ensuring a safe, secure and
prosperous State. While stating that
businesses and investments can only thrive in a secured and conducive atmosphere, Balogun said there was a need for the Organized Private Sector (OPS) to continue to support government, especially by complementing the sincere and genuine efforts of the present administration in the State at securing lives and property. He said:

“We just continue to appeal to the private sector to continue to support us. They have been doing
so well. As you know, the Trust Fund is based on donor funding and so all we have been able to achieve is from the private sector and we just appeal to them that nothing is too small.

“As Lagos continues to grow and
improve, security challenges
continue to increase and we need to forestall this problem in future and we can only do that with the
continuous support of the private sector.”

SIGNED HABIB ARUNA CHIEF PRESS
SECRETARY JUNE 23, 2016