Governors back state police, call for gradual implementation

Nigerian governors have backed the call for state police, even as they canvassed for gradual implementation across the country.

This, they attributed to the fact that not all the 36 states of the Federation have the financial strength to execute it.

Speaking with journalists at the just-concluded National Security Summit in Abuja on Monday, Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Abdul’aziz Yari, called for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to remove the issue of police from Exclusive to Concurrent List.

Yari who is also the governor of Zamfara State, argued that state police cannot be implemented simultaneously across the country.

Although there has been clamour for the creation of state police with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo lending his voice to the issue at the opening session of the Summit last week, there are, however, concerns that due to the grim economic situation that has seen 27 states in the country finding it difficult to pay the salaries of their workers, funding constraints could mar the implementation in some states.

But Yari called for the redeployment of more Federal police to states that can’t afford state police.

He said governors had already agreed on the issue as far back as 2014.

“That is why we are saying that it is not all the states that are supposed to have state police. Those that can, can have it. For instance, Lagos State, as rich as they are, can have state police. The Federal police in Lagos, they can reduce the number to Osun, Ogun and other states that cannot do it. If Rivers State can afford it, the number of Federal police can be redeployed to Cross River and other neighbouring states like Enugu that cannot do it. If Kano State can do it, they can take to my state (Zamfara) that is not all that richer. It is something that we can’t take up at the same time and land at the same time.

“Today, we have reiterated the position of the Vice President on the security summit we held in August that there is a need for state police. And we can say it is only the answer. The police of today are inadequate so if we look at the ratio, it is far below international standard. Therefore, we in the Forum agreed that we can find a way that we can fine-tune the issue of State police,” he said.

In a separate interview at the summit, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, stated that the National Assembly would effect further amendment to the constitution to give effect to the agitation for state police.

According to him, “We need to remove it from Exclusive List and put it in Concurrent Legislative List so that States can also make laws to provide for their own policing”.

Also speaking, a former governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero, disclosed that the Summit also reviewed the lack of synergy among security agencies in the country.

On his part, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Sam Anyanwu, said that the failure of the Federal Government to adhere to the federal character principle is posing serious threat to national security.

AccordIng to him, “Some states are not represented in the present security structure and this does not augur well for national security”.

 

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja