While delivering the keynote address at the 12th Triennial National Conference of Jama’at-ul Islamiyya of Nigeria in Magodo, Lagos, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola asserted that Nigeria must overhaul its strategy for tackling insecurity rather than merely deploying more personnel to the streets.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Addressing an audience of security and societal challenges, Fashola highlighted several key points:

• Systemic Reform Over Numbers: True resolution requires addressing deep institutional flaws rather than relying solely on police or military headcounts.

• Rule of Law: Nigeria must restore absolute respect for law and order, ensuring that no individual is above the law regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation.

• Mindset Shift: Citizens need to reevaluate their attitudes toward legitimate authority and the values transmitted to the younger generation.

• Uniform Integrity: Security personnel must recognize that their uniforms embody state authority, meaning officer misconduct directly undermines public trust in government.

• The Asymmetry of Crime: Fighting crime requires proactive intelligence gathering and prevention, noting that while security forces must succeed consistently, criminals require only a single opportunity to inflict damage.

• Youth and Substance Abuse: Tackling drug abuse and youth idleness—through productive engagements like the National Youth Sports Festival—is critical to preventing recruitment into crime.

• Professionalization of State Police: Any move toward state policing must be handled with utmost seriousness, focusing on rigorous recruitment, professional training, and career progression rather than a mere expansion of numbers.

Marking Taraba State’s 35th anniversary since its creation by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s military regime in 1991, Governor Agbu Kefas candidly noted that past and present administrations have yet to fully resolve the state’s deep-rooted issues.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

During an interactive session with journalists, Governor Kefas highlighted persistent deficits in critical areas:

• Numerous communities remain deprived of dependable electricity and clean water supply.

• The educational, healthcare, and employment sectors require substantial, ongoing interventions.

• Many youths continue to seek jobs while households struggle to fulfill basic daily needs.

While acknowledging that inherited challenges from taking office in 2023 can no longer serve as excuses, the governor stressed that his administration is actively establishing robust frameworks and institutional systems geared toward accelerated, measurable execution. He also noted that certain projects may experience delays as his government works to identify and rectify bottlenecks.

Welcoming transparency, Kefas urged citizens, the media, civil society groups, and the opposition to hold his administration accountable through fact-based scrutiny. He further invited residents to independently inspect ongoing state projects to verify how public resources are being deployed.

To enhance drug treatment and rehabilitation services nationwide, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has launched a comprehensive nationwide training initiative for its counseling personnel.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The program, spearheaded by the Directorate of Counseling, Treatment and Rehabilitation (DCTR) at the NDLEA Academy in Jos, Plateau State, marks the agency’s first major capacity-building exercise for counselors in several years. Over 100 counselors drawn from various nationwide formations are participating in this initial phase.

Designed to standardize operations and elevate professional expertise across all state command facilities, the training focuses on:

• Equipping practitioners with modern techniques to address emerging trends in substance abuse and dual-diagnosis cases involving mental health disorders.

• Instilling rigorous standards surrounding professional ethics, patient confidentiality, and quality assessment.

• Improving data collection and record management systems to guide future drug treatment planning and prevention policies.

• Promoting continuous professional growth through clinical supervision, peer reviews, and standardized counseling frameworks.

Represented at the opening ceremony by ACGN Bashir Ibrahim, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) emphasized that the initiative is vital for reinforcing the agency’s rehabilitation framework. He noted that continuous personnel development remains central to the NDLEA’s comprehensive strategy for tackling both the supply and demand sides of drug abuse, ultimately aligning national rehabilitation services with recognized international standards.