Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, praised the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) on Monday for backing the establishment of state police as a response to the nation’s security issues.
On September 12, the monarchs and governors of the 19 Northern states made a statement supporting the creation of a national state police.
The group called for the 1999 Constitution to be amended in order to provide a legal foundation for the creation of state police in a communique issued at the conclusion of their conference in Abuja and read by the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.
The leaders of the North realised that the only way to stop kidnapping, killing, and property devastation in the area was to establish state police.
Many Nigerians had in the past demanded the establishment as state police as the ultimate solution to the worsening insecurity in the country.
There were however concerns that politicians may use the state police to pursue a personal agenda.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, the Ondo governor noted that the Northern leaders’ call for a constitutional amendment to facilitate the creation of state police came at a time the people no longer have strong confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to secure them.
He stressed that the state police was the only logical and pragmatic solution to the country’s security challenges.
The statement read: “All patriots must salute the courage of the 19 Northern Governors and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council for their stance at this crucial moment in the country.
“We, on our part at the Southern Governors’ Forum have continued to reiterate the fact of the incongruity inherent in an arrangement which purports to be federal, nominally, but whose observances stand at variance with the best practices espoused by climes considered advanced and progressing, amenable to nuances and adaptations which reflect and accommodate the yearnings for inclusion of the component units.
“We will continue to insist on the creation of state police as the only logical and pragmatic solution to the pervasive problem of insecurity in the land.
“In addition to this, we shall not fail to renew the call for the adoption of policies geared towards real devolution of powers to the federating units indeed. This is the surest path to peace and progress.”
