This was disclosed by Dr Ike Chioke, the chairman of the Fund, in Enugu recently, during a town hall meeting to brief residents and stakeholders on its activities, achievements, and funding needs.

He explained that the target was necessary to sustain a community-based security structure across the  260 political wards in the state, noting that effective security requires not only equipment but also sufficient personnel on the ground.

According to Chioke, the plan is to deploy at least 20 security personnel in each ward, whose responsibility would be to monitor communities, detect unusual activities, and promptly relay intelligence to security agencies.

“We need to raise at least N5 billion every year for the fund to function efficiently. If you consider the 260 wards in the state and deploy about 20 security personnel in each ward, paying each of them monthly, the financial implication becomes clear,” he said.

Dr. Chioke stressed that security requires “boots on the ground”, describing community-based intelligence gathering as a critical component of effective crime prevention.

He explained that the Fund operates as a public-private partnership, where government provides support while citizens, corporate organisations, and other stakeholders contribute resources to strengthen the state’s security architecture.

The chairman, however, expressed concern that several donors who made public pledges during the 2025 fundraising drive had yet to redeem their commitments.

“During the fundraising, about N3 billion was pledged, but only around N1.3 billion has been redeemed so far. Some people announced donations of up to N100 million but have not paid a kobo,” he noted.

Chioke therefore appealed to residents, businesses, and members of the diaspora to support the initiative, stressing that collective contributions from many citizens can significantly strengthen security across the state.

He recalled that the Fund, inaugurated by Governor Peter Mbah in February 2024, had since established a functional operational framework, including a dedicated website and payment portal to facilitate contributions from individuals and organisations.

According to him, funds realised so far have been deployed to procure security equipment to enhance operations across the state.

The items include two surveillance drones equipped with infrared cameras, 10 Hilux patrol vehicles, 40 motorcycles for forest guards, and 400 bulletproof vests and helmets.

He added that the equipment had significantly strengthened ongoing efforts to tackle security threats such as kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts, noting that statistics indicate that incidents of kidnapping and related crimes in Enugu State have dropped by over 80 percent since the current administration came into office.

Representing Governor Peter Mbah at the event, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the secretary to the State Government, commended the board of the Trust Fund for creating a platform that enables citizens to actively participate in strengthening security in the state.

Prof. Onyia said the establishment of the ESSTF forms part of the administration’s broader strategy to build a sustainable security architecture anchored on transparency, accountability, and collaboration between government and citizens.

He noted that the improved security environment in the state had helped stimulate economic activities, contributing to the significant growth in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in recent years.

Also speaking, Vincent Onyeabor, the senior special assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, said the government continues to address security concerns across different parts of the state, noting that criminal elements often move across state borders to perpetrate crimes.

In his remarks, Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, the chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, called for greater public visibility of suspects arrested through the deployment of surveillance drones and other security operations in order to strengthen public confidence.

He also urged that traditional rulers be involved in the recruitment of forest guards, stressing that community participation remains essential in sustaining security across the state.

This is in addition to the ongoing 127 smart schools to bring the number of smart schools in the State to 260 or one smart school per political ward.

Also, the sum of N183bn has been approved for the construction of 141 roads across Enugu metropolis and 20 rural roads across the three senatorial zones of the state.

The approvals were disclosed at the end of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by the Governor, at the weekend.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the Exco meeting, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the secretary to the State Government, SSG, said the projects were in furtherance of Governor Peter Mbah’s determination to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn, achieve a zero per cent poverty headcount index as well as position Enugu State as the premier destination for business, investment, tourism, and for living in four to eight years.

“Recall that before now, the state’s total budget hovered around N100bn and N120bn with capital expenditure of about N30bn or capital expenditure to budget ratio of about 25 to 35 per cent.

“However, in keeping with Governor Mbah’s promise to de-risk investments, boost production, and run a lean and prudent government, the governor proposed an unprecedented N521.5bn 2024 budget with a capital expenditure totaling over N400bn, which is an equivalent of capital expenditure to budget ratio of about 80 per cent and recurrent expenditure ratio of about 20 per cent.

“Accordingly, the theme that we took away from Exco today is doubling down. The government is doubling down on infrastructure. If you recall, we started with 71 urban roads and 10 rural roads last year. Now, the governor and the Executive Council have also approved 141 urban roads and 20 rural roads.

“It is noteworthy that although the rural roads are 20 in number, compared to 141 in Enugu metropolis, they are actually more, nearly three times those approved for Enugu urban in terms of kilometres.

“This is part of the strategies to improve the quality of life in the rural communities and importantly to de-risk investments in agriculture. Outside security, which we are effectively dealing with, the big elephant in the room is to scale up the production and movement of produce from farmlands to the market. We also understand the need for processing, hence the heavy investments in road infrastructure,” Prof. Onyia stated.

Giving a breakdown of the roads, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Gerald Otiji, said the roads covered in this phase included the dualisation of the 41.3km Abakpa Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road with bridges, dualisation of Penocks Junction – Nike Lake Road to T-Junction Flyover,  Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara Road with two bridges, Umabi-Ehuhe Achi with a spur to Agbudu-Ihe-Owelli-Ogugu by Enugu-Port Harcourt old road, Nomeh-Oduma Road, Mburubu-Nkereffi Road, and Amodu-Akpugo Road.

Also approved were Iheaka-Ibagwa Road, Ibagwa-Itchi-Unadu-Alor Agu-Ibeje Road, Amagunze-Ihuokpara-Ugbawka Road with a bridge, Obeleagu Umana (Nkwo Ezeagu)-Omughu Umana-Aguobu-Umumba Road, Nara-Nkerefi Road with a bridge, Amagunze-Akpawfu Raod, Amagu-Attakwu-Akegbe Ugwu-Akpasha Road, Obinagu Udi-Isu Awa Road, and Nsukka-Ibagwa-Ogurute-Ette Road.

Others included Obuofia-Obeagu-Akegbe Ugwu Road, Obinofia-Ndiagu-Ugwuoba Road by Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Orie Engine-Aguobu-Umumba-Ebenebe Road to Anambra State border, Ituku Roads, Ozalla Roads, among others.

Otiji further explained that in selecting the 141 roads for construction and reconstruction, the government was deliberate in ensuring that all the zones, namely, Emene, Thinkers Corner, Abakpa, Trans Ekulu/New GRA/Old GRA, Awkunanaw (Achara Layout/Uwani/Gariki), Independence Layout, Ogui/Asata, and Coal Camp were covered.

Also briefing Government House correspondents, Lloyd Ekweremadu, the commissioner for Youth and Sports, and the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Aka Eze Aka, said the Executive Council was also briefed on the ongoing hi-tech security surveillance camera installations around the state and the planned turnaround and upgrade of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.

Meanwhile, pursuant to its agriculture and agro-industrialisation drive, the Mbah administration said it had built nearly 200,000 hectares in its Land Bank for agricultural purposes across its Produce Cities in the 17 LGAs of the state, which would now be boosted by the construction of the rural roads.

It has so far leased 15,000 hectares of land at Ikem Nkwo to Ugwu Anama Farms Enugu SPV Limited for the cultivation of crops; 2,000 hectares at Eha-Amufu to Atlantico Farms and Agro Concepts Limited for crops production and another 100 hectares for the establishment of an ultra-modern feed mill and poultry farm; 20,000 hectares to Sujimoto Group for cultivation of rice and development of agro-industrial processing park at Odenigbo, Eha-Amufu; and 7,221 hectares to Fungtai Company Limited for planting of economic trees, crop farming and establishment of agro-allied industrial parks at Ugwujoro, Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani LGA.

The administration has also concluded arrangements for the takeover of the management and development of the long moribund Songhai Farms Heneke in Ezeagu LGA by Britednuel Agro Limited and partners.

In 2023, the state government cultivated 1,000 hectares in Aninri, Nkanu East, and Uzo-Uwani LGAs to support the cassava to bioethanol value chain development initiative of the Federal Government, while the Biotechnology Industrial Park led by Federal Government/Enugu State and Biosource Technologies Ltd, a private partner, is under construction at Egede/Affa in Udi LGA.