Wale Jagun
In a bid to stamp out environmental degeneration and sustain the position of Lagos State as a resilient metropolitan city, the Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele has launched the “See Something, Say Something” campaign at the Headquarters of the Agency Tuesday.
The campaign programme, which is one of the many lined up programmes of actions to be initiated by the new Chairman, is to serve as a feedback mechanism through which members of the public can reach out to the Agency to report and update the team on happenings and incidents of concern in their vicinity.
Akerele said, “I belong to the school of thought which states that communication is a two-way thing – the encoder and the decoder. The task of stamping out illegalities such as environmental degradation, black spots, okada riders operating illegally, street trading, driving against traffic (One-Way), causing an obstruction on the Highway, blockage of streets and roads for social events and so on can only be achieved through whistleblowing mechanisms such as this. We can act when we get tip-offs from members of the public through this initiative”.
CSP Akerele, who assumed office recently, further disclosed that he is determined to achieve his setout goals through the collective effort of every stakeholder in the Metropolis. He urged members of the public, including staff members, to utilise this opportunity to restore sanity across board.
“The internet and social media have made whistle-blowing quite easy these days. You can send messages, pictures or videos of any illegal activities within your area to our social media handles and I can assure you that you will be reached within the shortest possible time. Your identity will remain confidential for safety reasons and we will act upon it once we conclude our investigations”, he added.
The Chairman further addressed personnel of the Agency to carry out their duties with utmost professionalism and etiquette to avoid being caught in the new wave of reportage.
He said, “There will be no sacred cows in this era therefore I urge you all to carry out your assigned duties with a human face. We are all being watched and if anyone is caught carrying out any illegal activity, he will be sanctioned according to the rule of engagement”.
He submitted that Lagosians can contact the Agency via its social media handles: Twitter: @Taskforce112, Facebook: Lagos State Taskforce, Instagram: @Taskforce112, Email: [email protected] or call Phoneline: 08089705008 for feedbacks or whistleblowing.
“I urge all residents to embrace these channels and inform us of any suspicious or glaring illegality going on around the vicinity and I promise it will be looked into with the required swiftness. Attaining a safe serene and habitable environment is a collective responsibility”, Akerele concluded.
