Insecurity: Makinde Urges Federal Government to Reevaluate State Police
On Tuesday, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State stated that the creation of a state police force is a long-overdue concept and that the country as a whole must act now to address the security threats it faces.
The governor insisted that the Federal Government should look into the matter again because the South-West Governors had asked for state police and the Federal Government had refused to approve their request a few years ago. This, he said, led to the creation of the Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun.
Under the leadership of its chairman, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, Makinde made this announcement at his reception of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislators, South-West Chapter.
The speakers visited the governor’s office in Ibadan as a courtesy following the explosion in Bodija on January 16.
In order to bring growth to the people and the benefits of democracy, the governor emphasised the need of legislative and executive branch coordination and cooperation.
I want to make it clear that you all need to unite, regardless of the political party that elected you to office,” the governor added. The time for campaigning has passed; now is the time for unity in government so that our citizens can reap the benefits of democracy.
While discussing the country’s security issues, Makinde argued that states should be permitted to build their own police forces and dismissed concerns that they would be unable to do so.
Oyo State, he said, has never had a problem paying salaries and pensions, even though the country as a whole has been struggling economically.
Some of us governors petitioned the federal government for permission to establish state police for our individual states prior to the inauguration of Amotekun in this state, but we were denied that authority under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, according to Makinde.
“I was of the opinion back then, and I still am now, that the states cannot afford to have their own police force. It has always seemed to me that the federal government has never visited a specific state and provided the police with all the resources they require. It appears that the states are already funding police forces.
According to Makinde, the police are on the exclusive list. However, if the responsibility is divided and the states are required to operate their own police system, then they should be able to receive funds from the federation account to pay for their maintenance.
The problem of underfunded state police will thus never come up again. First, let us take the hit, and then we can assess whether states can handle the load.
However, we made peace with Amotekun as state police were unavailable. Its formation was codified in common law by all of the South’s state assemblies. You lawmakers need to do your part to make state police a reality, so we’ll keep pressing for them.