Ibadan Is No Longer Notorious ‘Garrison Command’ – Ajimobi
Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has said Ibadan, the state capital, is no longer a notorious ‘garrison command’ controlled by self acclaimed power persons.
The governor while speaking when top echelon of the state police command led by Commissioner of Police Abiodun Odude paid him courtesy visit in Ibadan, commended the federal government for acceding to the clarion call of the state for the establishment of more police commands in the state.
Ajimobi also lauded the gallantry of the officers and men of the state police command in ridding the state of criminalities, stressing that the reigning peace in the state was responsible for his administration’s major achievements.
It would be recalled that a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, had in 2006 , an era that witnessed political turmoil and brigandage referred to Ibadan as a ‘garrison command’ and named a late stalwart of the party, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the ‘garrison commander.’
The governor rued the prevailing paucity of fund, which he blamed for the inability of the government to assist the police and other security formations more than he was presently doing in his drive for a near zero crime rate in the state.
He said, “We should be more grateful to the police authority in Oyo State, because through them we were able to transform the state from one that was notorious for violence in the past, which earned us the tag of a ‘garrison command’ to a very peaceful state that we are today.
“All our achievements in the areas of commerce, education, culture and tourism, urban renewal as well as provision of standard health services are attributable to good and well-secured environment made possible by our collaboration with the police.
“We would have been able to do more towards empowering the police but for the paucity of fund experienced lately. But, we promise to do all we can to maintain peace and make Oyo State the darling of business interests from Nigeria and from abroad.”
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police Odude, had adjudged the state as one of the most peaceful states in the country.
Odude, who commended the governor for his administration’s continuous support for the state command, said that the gesture had assisted the police in maintaining peace, law and order, as well as in taming the motor park overlords that had made life hellish for residents until 2011.
He expressed the appreciation of the police to the governor and other stakeholders, whose combined efforts and cooperation, he said, had made policing less cumbersome across the state.