Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has disclosed plans by his administration to integrate village youth presidents into the state’s security architecture, saying it is a prelude to launching the state police following federal government nod for the decentralisation of the policing system in the country.
The governor said, under the new security order, the youth leaders would be trained by security personnel and incorporated into the state security outfit – Ibom Community Watch (ICW).
Speaking with correspondents at the Victor Attah International Airport on arrival from a two-day official visit outside the state at the weekend, the governor said the strategic decision became necessary in order ward-off criminal elements from infiltrating the already peaceful state.
“The reason is simple. We must take security seriously as a state. We must be proactive. The security situation in the country demands that all state governors become very proactive.
“The village youth presidents live in the villages and we have over 2,200 villages. They must now come in to become part of the security architecture of the state as we prepare to roll out our state police,” he said.
On their role and contribution to the security of the state, the governor explained that the youth presidents would be trained on information gathering to serve as Intelligence officers within the Ibom Community Watch, to help security agencies to function optimally.
“They will be our intelligence officers. So we are bringing them into the Ibom Community Watch. They will be trained on intelligence gathering by the police and other security agencies, and then we will formerly bring them in.
“So village youth presidents are now going to serve as intelligence officers, responsible to governments in their respective villages, and of course we are creating jobs. So you can be sure that over 2,200 youth presidents will be engaged.”
He decried situations where primary schools and other public facilities in villages are vandalised in a place where there is a youth president, saying that with their planned integration, such will become history.
“You must be responsible for what happens in your village. Government now hires you. You need to know the number of people in your village, who are the visitors in your village. Criminal activities don’t happen overnight, security overrun doesn’t happen overnight,” he added.
