THE Oyo State government will install close circuit television, CCTV, cameras in strategic locations across the state, Governor Abiola Ajimobi said yesterday.

The move, the governor said, would place Oyo among the league of states and communities under the “safe city project.”

Ajimobi spoke in Ibadan, the state capital, when he hosted Stuart Symington, the United States ambassador to Nigeria. In his speech, the governor said the state, hitherto known for violence and brigandage, changed its course when his administration came in 2011.

He pledged to sustain the peace.

According to him, CCTV cameras will be installed at strategic locations known to be red spots or crisis-prone for close monitoring of the state.

Security operatives, Ajimobi said, would have direct link to the control base of the cameras.

The governor said his administration’s efforts at investing in the security and safety of the state was based on its understanding that they aid development.

On flooding, he said the intervention and assistance Oyo State got from the World Bank on 2011 flood helped the government in installing early flood warning signals which have helped prevent a recurrence.

He said: “We came in 2011 and the state was regarded as an unsafe place. This made us come up with our hierarchy of development, drawing from man’s hierarchy of needs.

“We identified that the job of a government is, firstly, security and safety. The approach we adopted has yielded results and transformed Oyo to be known as one of the safest states in the country.”

Earlier in his address, Symington said: “My visit to Oyo State is not just a courtesy call but a call for vision and wisdom. My goal is to look at Nigeria from every, and a different point.

“The reason for Nigeria’s greatness is because of its togetherness. It is a very great nation. We will like to see how the people of this great nation and the people of America can work together to build a better future for the Pacesetter State.”

—  Jun 20, 2017 @ 16:50 GMT