Rivers LG boss seeks FG’s aid to tackle security, infrastructure woes

The Administrator of Andoni Local Government Area in Rivers State, Atajit Francis, has called on the Federal Government to provide more support to the area, citing limited resources and insecurity challenges.

Francis made the plea when he received the Obolo Media Forum, led by its Chairman, Gogo Rufus, who visited him in his office in Ngo town, the headquarters of the council.

According to Francis, despite Andoni’s substantial contribution to Nigeria’s economy through oil, the area lacks basic infrastructure and federal presence.

He emphasised the need for improved security, infrastructure development, and investment opportunities to attract federal support and attention.

“We need more support from the Federal Government to address the security challenges and infrastructure deficits in our area,” he said.

The administrator thanked the Obolo Media Forum for visiting him and promised to support their efforts to highlight the needs of Andoni.

He noted that agencies such as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Customs, and the Police should be in sync for border surveillance activities.
Nwauju believes that integrating Police Affairs into the Interior Ministry will help curb the menacing threats from cross-border terrorists who are being mistaken for bandits or herdsmen.

Nwauju stressed that security should be prioritised, citing Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which places physiological and safety needs as fundamental to human survival.

He urged the National Assembly to wake up to the reality of the security situation and take immediate action to review the 2025 Appropriation for the Interior Ministry.

With the 40 per cent digitisation of land borders achieved so far by the Interior Ministry, Nwauju believes that pushing it towards the 100 per cent threshold will greatly improve national security, but this cannot be achieved without a proper and reasonable budget.