Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Friday appealed to individuals and corporate organisations to support the state government’s efforts to sustain the security of lives and property through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).
The governor made the appeal during a private breakfast meeting with selected managing directors and chief executive officers of companies in Ikoyi, Lagos, organised by the LSSTF to raise funds for critical security needs for 2026.
The identified needs include multipurpose security helicopters and drones, armoured personnel carriers, water cannons, tactical training, police infrastructure upgrades, smart CCTV cameras, digital communication equipment, patrol vehicles and an ultra-modern mechanical workshop.
Sanwo-Olu said previous contributions to the LSSTF had been transparently and judiciously deployed to strengthen security agencies, noting that the Lagos model had been adopted by other subnational governments and even the Federal Government.
He stressed that the state government continues to shoulder a significant portion of security funding.
“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 happens annually, but we wanted it to be something the private sector can trust,” the governor said, adding that accountability and transparency remain central to the fund’s operations.
He disclosed that the state is rebuilding its Command and Control Centre with state-of-the-art equipment and expanding the Safe City project through the installation of more CCTV cameras to enhance surveillance and emergency response.
According to him, the administration is also focused on improving the capacity and capability of first responders across the state.
Commenting on recent protests over demolition activities in parts of Makoko, Sanwo-Olu said the government’s actions were taken in the public interest and for the safety of residents.
He explained that the proliferation of shanties near the Third Mainland Bridge and under high-tension power lines posed serious safety risks.
“I am not going to sit down and wait for a tragedy where hundreds of people could die in one day. What we did was to push them back in the interest of safety,” he said, dismissing claims that the government was deliberately displacing residents.
He also criticised some non-governmental organisations, accusing them of exploiting the situation for financial gain.
The governor further announced plans to commission 35 junior and senior secondary schools accommodating about 22,000 students in the Tolu community of Ajegunle next month.
He cited the resolution of the longstanding Okobaba sawmill crisis as an example of the administration’s commitment to sustainable urban renewal, noting that affected residents were relocated to Agbowa with over 500 housing units provided at a cost of billions of naira.
Sanwo-Olu said sustaining security remains critical to attracting investment and securing the future of Lagos, assuring potential investors that the state remains a safe and viable destination for business.
