President Bola Tinubu and state governors have agreed to establish state police in the country as part of measures to check the rising wave of insecurity in the country.
This was one of the six high points of an emergency meeting summoned by the President at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, given the economic hardship in the country and the upsurge of insecurity in different parts of the country.
The emergency meeting also had in attendance Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nyesom Wike.
Specifically, President Tinubu approved the establishment of a committee comprising state governors and representatives of the Federal Government to, among other things, explore modalities for establishing state police.
The President and the state governors also discussed the possibility of improving the numerical strength of forest rangers to train them so that they can keep our forests and borders very safe.
Following a spike in insecurity across the country, there have been calls by some stakeholders and ethnic nationalities groups for the establishment of state police as was practised in the First Republic before it was abolished by the Military.
Currently, many states have vigilante groups and the South-West zone has Amotekun The President also directed security chiefs especially the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the Department of State Service, DSS, Yusuf Bichi; and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to crack down on those hoarding food commodities and bring them to book.
It will be recalled that since President Tinubu on May 29 had said “subsidy is gone” inauguration speech, the economy has witnessed a downward spiral with the attendant hardship and high cost of living leading to protests in some states of the country.
Although President Tinubu has directed his economic team, including all relevant officials in the government to find a way to ameliorate the situation, the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency have been approved to make available about 102,000 metric tons of assorted items including rice, maize, millet among others.
Governors who attended the meeting were those of Ekiti, Delta, Borno, Lagos, Kwara, Nasarawa, Edo, Yobe, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Sokoto, Niger, Taraba, Adamawa, Cross River, Ogun and Enugu. President Tinubu also informed the governors that the Federal Government would work with them and the National Assembly towards putting in place a mechanism that will engender state police instead of the vigilantes that are being used in some states.
He charged the governors to pay attention to livestock development in their states and increase production most especially poultry and fishing products. The president also pleaded with Governors to ensure all salary arrears to workers and gratuities to retired workers and pensioners are cleared as a way to put money into the hands of the people since states are now getting more monthly FAAC revenue.
They also urged the governors to create economic opportunities for youths in their states. He urged the governors to deal with the problems of hoarding in their states. Tinubu’s position on state police, food security Addressing the meeting, President Tinubu said: “My position at this meeting is that we must move aggressively and establish a committee to look critically at the issues raised, including the possibility of establishing state police.
‘’From Kano, we have read reports about large-scale hoarding of food in some warehouses. The National Security Adviser, NSA, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, should coordinate very closely and ensure that security agencies in the states inspect such warehouses with follow-up action.
‘’We must ensure that speculators, hoarders, and rent seekers are not allowed to sabotage our efforts in ensuring the wide availability of food to all Nigerians.
How decisions were taken – Information Minister
Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the emergency meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said far-reaching decisions were taken including the consideration for the establishment of state police. The Minister said that there will be more meetings to fine-tune the modalities for setting up state police. He said: “The Federal Government and state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up state police. Of course, this is still going to be further discussed, a lot of work still has to be done in that direction. But the Federal Government and state governments are agreeing to the necessity of having state policy. “This is a significant shift. But more work needs to be done in that direction. A lot of meetings will have to happen between different governments and sub-nationals to see the modalities of achieving this.” Disclosing that the meeting was at the instance of the President to intimate the state governors about what was happening, and what the Federal Government was doing and to also hear from the state governors, their input about issues of development in this country, Idris continued: “A lot of issues were discussed about the security situation in the country. The apparent food issue that the media has also been reporting about and some other measures that will help in improving the state of our nation. “Now, the first point is that the governors and the President have agreed to set up a committee to deepen the conversation that has happened at the just-concluded meeting. c “Secondly, Mr. President and the governors have agreed that these kinds of meetings will continue in the interest of our nation. NSA, DSS, IGP to crack down hoarders of food items “First, the National Security Adviser, the Director General of the state services, and the Inspector General of Police have been directed to coordinate with the state governors to look at the issue of those hoarding commodities. “At this point, the nation requires foods to be brought out to the people so that we can control prices and put food on the table of most Nigerians, other commodity traders are busy hoarding these commodities so that Nigerians will suffer or they will make more money as a result.
“So the governors and Mr. President have taken this decision that security agencies will collaborate with the state governors to ensure that this ends.
No food importation
“A decision has also been taken that in the interest of our country, there will be no need for food importation at this point. Nigeria has the potential to feed itself and even be a net exporter of food items to other countries. And we do not also want to reverse some of the progress we have seen in terms of food production in this country.
“What we’re seeing now is just a temporary difficulty that will soon go away. Therefore, the solution to it is continuous investment in agriculture so that food can be made available to all Nigerians. “Of course, you know that Mr. President declared an emergency in agriculture many months ago. Therefore, part of the measures that he has taken is to ensure that investments, more investments are made in this sector for the benefit of our people.”
Governors back Tinubu
The Minister said that the governors agreed to join hands with the president to deepen their own investment in the agricultural sector so that more food will be made available to Nigerians. “Of course, this investment is not just in crop production, it is also in livestock development and management,” he explained. On insecurity, the minister said that President Tinubu and the governors agreed that there was significant improvement in the security situation around the country but “this is not to say that the security situation has been solved completely. But we have seen significant improvement. In Borno, for example, areas where farmers have not been able to cultivate as a result of security, those farmers have now returned to their farms. “It is also the same thing in Jigawa and many parts of the country. The governors, including the governor of Plateau State, have also attested to the fact that despite all the challenges that we’re having, there appears to be improvement in security in these areas.
“Mr. President and the governors also thank the security agencies for the work they are doing. Some of them even pay the supreme price with their lives to ensure that Nigerians have a secure environment.”
Training forest rangers
“Now in this direction, Mr President and the state governors also discussed the possibility of improving the numeric strength of forest rangers to train them so that they can keep our forests and our borders very safe.
President Tinubu also called on the state governors to join hands with the Federal Government to provide more for people, especially the teeming youth population.
The presidency said: “There is going to be a joint programme between the state governments and federal government to ensure that our teeming youth population is gainfully employed. So that we will reduce to the barest minimum the issue of unemployment in the country.
Adding that the president and governors are on one page irrespective of political differences to ensure that Nigeria remains peaceful and united.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun to fully implement community policing as outlined in Section 15 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020. The call was a sequel to the adoption of Matter of Urgent Public Importance by Rep. Asama Ago (LPPlateau) at plenary, yesterday. Ago recalled that the House of Representatives had passed several resolutions on attacks by assailants in communities across Nigeria. He said in spite of the numerous resolutions arising from motions, communities still continue to be victims of these heinous attacks. According to him, all efforts of the security agencies seem inadequate because of the overwhelming nature of the situation. The lawmaker said that the atrocious killings have become incessant in several communities across the federation with recent attacks in the Nkienzha community of Bassa LGA, Plateau State “Aware that the Police Act, 2020 provides for the establishment of Community Policing as stipulated explicitly in Section 113, 114, 116 and 117 of the Act. “113.-(1) says for the effective and efficient policing of communities in a state or Federal Capital Territory, the Commissioner of Police of a State shall establish a Community Policing Committee which shall consist of representatives of the Police Force and the local community in the state. “It says a Commissioner of Police of a state shall establish a Community SubPolicing Committee at all Divisional Police Headquarters in the state or Federal Capital Territory. “Subject to section 116 (1) (b) of this Act, the Commissioner of Police and members designated by him from time to time for the purpose, shall be members of the Policing Committees and Sub-Policing Committees established at various police formations. “114.-(1) says a Commissioner of Police of a state or Federal Capital Territory shall, in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders in the community, establish Divisional Community Policing Committee in all Police Divisions within the state,” he said.
Vanguard/Simeon Ugbodovon
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