Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has urged the federal government to rescue Nigerians from worsening insecurity by prioritising the decentralisation of policing, starting with state police in the New Year.
Ekweremadu made the call in his New Year message to Nigerians, saying the much needed development, good governance, and credible 2023 elections would rely overwhelmingly on security of the lives and property of Nigerians.
He regretted that a vast nation like Nigeria that should thrive on the strengths of agriculture and industrialisation, was being overrun by multifarious criminal cartels, which have been exploiting the country’s hugely unpoliced territories. The lawmaker noted that whereas more political leaders were coming to terms with the imperativeness of state police, the political will was still gravely lacking.
“The primary purpose of government is the security of the lives and properties of citizens without which other promises of democracy, including good governance, credible elections, and development will remain in abeyance.
“Unfortunately, 2021 will be remembered as the year that various criminal gangs, once again, took advantage of our largely unpoliced and underpoliced spaces to inflict tears, sorrows, and blood as they continue to terrorise, abduct, raid, tax, and kill hapless citizens.
“Therefore, as we step into year 2022, I call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, including the leadership of the National Assembly, to prioritise the security of lives and properties of Nigerians, by accelerating the decentralisation of policing, starting with lending political weight to the Constitution Amendment Bill for the creation of state police.
“Experiences of other nations, particularly federal states, show that our nation can only be properly secured by decetralising our policing system to enable every state, every local government, and even big institutions to take charge of the security of lives and properties in their respective jurisdictions,” Ekweremadu stated.
While wishing Nigerians a happy New Year celebration, he urged them to pray for the nation, especially for political will on the part of the leaders, to take the right and decisive steps to put an end to insecurity.
Recall that Ekweremadu, a proponent of decentralised policing for over a decade, sponsored a Constitution Amendment Bill for the creation of state police in the 8th and 9th (current) National Assembly.