By Omotolani Oseni, Tunde Opalana
Governors and their state assemblies have called on the National Assembly to expedite action on constitution amendment that would lead to the creation of state police across the 36 states of the federation.
The renewed calls for state policing are coming in the backdrop of rising cases of banditry and kidnapping spreading across many states, including Lagos.
The governors and their states assemblies, at separate fora on Monday, cautioned the National Assembly against further delay in effecting the necessary amendment to the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) regarding the creation of state police.
The Lagos State House of Assembly, at its plenary session, said the states could no longer wait for the federal legislature to foot-drag on the matter.
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It described the issue of state police as a matter of urgent public importance.
In the interim, Speaker of the Lagos House, Mudashiru Obasa, called for proper equipping of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, a body initiated by him and backed by law to support other security agencies in the state.
Expressing concern over the pervasive insecurity across the country, Obasa, recalled an incident in Ikorodu area at the weekend in which gunmen attacked a commercial bus and abducted an unspecified number of passengers.
Noting that the country’s security system is overstretched, Obasa said,
“This time around the National Assembly should be our focus. They don’t have to wait till the twilight of their tenure to start a constitutional amendment.
“This administration is at the beginning of its four years. So the National Assembly should begin the amendment now and we should be part of it to put an end to the issue of state police.”
The Speaker allayed fears that governors could hijack the state police to their advantage as he said the law should put a system in place to check possible excesses on the part of the governors.
While urging the Lagos government to allocate a specific percentage from the Security Trust Fund to empower and strengthen the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Obasa said it would be good for the root causes of insecurity to be addressed through effective youth engagement initiatives, including sports.
“We must consider factors that lead to insecurity. Poverty – in this period of rising inflation – we can continue bringing relief to our people. Sports has been a very effective tool to take our youth away from crime,” he added.
Also, rising from a meeting in Abuja on Monday, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), echoed clamour for state police.
The chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, said the current economic hardship is being fueled to a large extent, by insecurity.
According to him, the party’s governors reviewed the state of the nation and drew a correlation between the current economic hardship and insecurity.
The Bauchi governor said, “The meeting reviewed the state of the nation and noted the hardship being faced by Nigerians as a result of the economic and security challenges facing the nation.
“The Forum consequently urges the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency, embark on initiatives involving all the sub national governments to bring a lasting solution to the crises. The PDP Governors will continue to play their part in the effort to bring security and succour to our people.
“To this end, we reiterate our call for state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any tier of government”.
The PDP governors lamented the rising cost of living and the attendant hardship being faced by Nigerians, warning that if the trend is not halted or reversed, the nation could be “on the way to Venezuela.”
Multiple reports indicate that Venezuela’s 2023 inflation hit close to 190 percent. Mohammed said governors were working closely with the federal government to address the hardship.
Governor Mohammed said, “The rising cost of living is not only under the purview of the federal government. We have been partnering together with them to make sure that we don’t bring any distraction. But monetary and economic policies rest squarely with the federal government.
“The majority of Nigerians voted for this administration, so we are doing so much across party lines and on bi-partisan basis, within the Nigeria Governors Forum and the National Economic Council to make sure that we cushion the effects of some of these policies.
“We have reached out to our people and opened the food reserves in a manner that it will provide some succour to our people at the lower level.”
The Bauchi governor said the PDP has opted for constructive criticism of federal government policies, saying the governors supported the removal of fuel subsidy when President Bola Tinubu made the announcement on May 29, 2023.
“AT the onset of this administration, we supported the removal of subsidy, we believed that there were safeguards. WE believed that if we took collective decisions, we should go by it. But certainly, we have seen that it is a free fall for the naira. The cost of living is going high, we are almost on the road to Venezuela.
“So we are giving concrete opposition but not insulting anybody. But ultimately the decision squarely rests with Nigerians and other organs in the country to make sure that we do things that would bring succour to all of us.
“The Forum decried the falling value of the Naira and requested the monetary and fiscal authorities to find appropriate solutions.
“The meeting further reviewed recent developments in the Peoples Democratic Party and committed to leading efforts to revamp and reposition the party to serve as an effective opposition to the ruling party in Nigeria.
Governors at the meeting were Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Dep. Gov. Ifeanyi Ossai (Enugu), Deputy Governor Monday John Onyeme (Delta).
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