The Nation Newspaper

Tag: STATE POLICE

  • ‘In a federal system, it’s an aberration not to have state police’

    ‘In a federal system, it’s an aberration not to have state police’

    Abdurrazaq Balogun is the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. He was the Chief Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly and thus a member of the leadership of the Assembly when the law setting up the trust fund was passed. Today, he sits atop the agency. In this interview with Oziegbe Okoeki, he speaks on the activities and his vision to take the fund to higher levels. 

    You were part of the State Assembly that passed the law setting up the Lagos State Trust Fund, so you must be very familiar with the provisions of that law; from your experience so far as the agency’s Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, will you say the agency is meeting up with the provisions of that law?

    I will even say in my view, with what I have seen on ground, they have surpassed the expectations of the law. But again, don’t also forget that Lagos State Security Trust Fund had no precedent before its creation in Lagos State. So, the former board actually built from scratch and over the years what we met on ground in the last eight years since its creation has been one that is very fantastic. We met a board that is up and running well and it just really shows that sometimes this is exactly examples of institution being built not around people because almost all the pioneer board members have left, including the former Executive Secretary, and yet we have inherited a very fantastic infrastructure and also management.

    You never envisaged when you were passing the law that one day you would head the organisation but that has become a reality now, now that you are in charge, are there any areas in the law that you think needs improvement by way of amendments?

    Yes, there are some few things I have seen in the law and even outside the law that I feel, because what the intendment of the law is, is that it will be an interventionist sort of an agency, to bridge the gap between security agencies and Lagos State because of the years of neglect of security agencies. So this fund was created to source for resources from the private sectors and well meaning Nigerians to be able to intervene in activities of security agencies. So it encompasses everything that has to do with security in Lagos State but don’t also forget that security is in the exclusive list of the constitution so that limits the work we can aspire to do; for instance, we have spoken about the state police that has not come to fruition. But as it is right now, if you ask me what I want to do in the law, I will ask for, for instance compelling public places to have their own special security apparatus. For instance look at our shopping malls today, all our shopping malls, it is a new concept, a very brilliant concept, but I don’t think the security is adequate. I will want something whereby you can control the people entering the mall in a very controlled manner both in the entrance and exit and you can have things like scanners, body scanners, lobby scanners so that at least you know that everybody entering the mall for instance will not carry devices that are injurious to the people. But by and large, so far so good, I have looked at the law over and over again, I think it is still very much okay as it is right now but I am sure as we go on I will now continue to see ways and manners by which we can review but as it is right now, it is adequate for us at the moment.

    What would you say are the challenges so far?

    For me, I really don’t see anything as a challenge. I see it as a way to forge ahead. What I see here is that we need to be more proactive in this fund. This fund needs to be much more visible. We need to reach out to a large number of the populace. We cannot continue to depend on large donors only, because certainly we all know the economic situation of the country. Most of our big donors are banks and stuff like that and well meaning Nigerians. But now we want to be out there, to let Nigerians and Lagosians know that security is the concern of everyone and that every token, every naira you donate goes a long way. So instead of just concentrating on big donors, if for instance in Lagos State we have donors, just 1million donors that donate N1000 – that would be N1billion. That is the kind of money we have never made in this fund. And so we want to make it much more visible, we want to also be able to make Lagosians know that every money that they donate is well spent, is well accounted for; we run a very transparent and accountable organisation here. And that whatever they are giving, we are giving back to them what they expect from us by making the security agencies much more visible, much more responsive, and friendlier. And giving statistics of the crime rate in Lagos State and over the years, what we have seen is that there has been a huge decrease in crime rate, I mean vis-a-vis the cosmopolitan nature and the challenges of Lagos State.

    You talked of state police earlier, a lot of people believe that with the kind of support the state government is giving to the security agencies through this fund, that it will be able to fund and maintain a state police. What are your views on the clamour for state police and the ability of the state government to fund and maintain it?

    It is something that I know Lagos State has been clamouring for, even as a parliamentarian we have debated on this matter several times. Lagos State has always been in front of any innovation in this country. As a matter of fact, in any federal system, because we are supposed to practice federalism in Nigeria, it is an aberration that you have a state government without a state police, prisons, county prisons or local government prisons or even police. It is not really a big deal; I think Lagos State is poised to establish a state police once we are given the clearance to do so. We’ve had LASTMA over the years, which is one of the most successful stories of Lagos State; we have KAI, all these are uniformed personalities. Now, the trust fund is here and look at the resources we have generated over the years vis-a-vis what we have been able to maintain in terms of security in Lagos State. So for me, I think Lagos State is ready and I am sure if that is eventually actualised, Lagos State would be the better for it, the citizens would be a lot better.

    Does the Agency get directly involved in security issues, like for instance calling on the Agency for rescue in case of armed robbery attack anywhere? 

    No, it is not primarily our responsibility, don’t forget that no matter what we do to assist the police, we are not police officers; we are not trained to perform their functions. I think what we want to do in this administration is to have a very robust interface with the people, to have a very robust website where people can interact with us, send messages to us, issues that they may not be confident to discuss with the police; they can send us and we can forward it to this people. We also want to make the emergency numbers of 112 and 767 very, very visible, so that all Lagosians can know these numbers at their finger tips; after all you don’t need to have a kobo on your phone for you to be able to asses these emergency numbers.

    There was this talk about installing CCTV all over Lagos for security purpose some time ago, how far has it gone?

    When the governor came on board, I think security is one of his main cardinal objectives in the state. He understands that without security, people cannot go about their business with ease, and if business don’t thrive, you can’t get revenue to build Lagos. He is very, very passionate about the security of Lagos state and the CCTV project is on course. I know there are so many committees working on it. We want to have a very robust CCTV system in Lagos that would stand the test of time.

  • State police: Back on the front burner

    The agitation for state police, one of the components of true federalism, has resurfaced in the national discourse.  MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines the issues that have been militating against its establishment and how it can become a reality. 

    THERE has been growing calls for the establishment of state police over the years, to complement the efforts of the federal police in combating crime and criminality in the country. The idea has always been shut down each time it surfaces.

    Nevertheless, it is one issue that continues to generate interest. During the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan, delegates canvassed different positions. It was also a campaign issue during the last general elections.

    It resonated once again during the screening of ministerial nominees by the National Assembly. Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola brought it back into national discourse when he was screened by the Senate. He said it is grossly inadequate for Nigeria to have only 500,000 police personnel for the over 170 million Nigerians.

    Fashola said it has become imperative to for the states to establish their own police, in line with the federal structure of the country. According to the former governor, state police could be saddled with cases of domestic violence and rape issues, while the federal police should be engaged in other matters related to crime prevention.

    He further explained that the creation of state police would provide job opportunities for graduates roaming the streets. The police, he noted, have much to gain from the reservoir of knowledge laying fallow across.

    Graduates of criminology and strategic thoughts abound across the country, but have not been offered the opportunity to serve in the force because of the limited slots only available under the federal police.

    Those arguing for the creation of state police believe that since the state government have their own executive, judiciary and legislature, it would be wrong to prevent them from establishing their police.

    One of the major duties of the police is to investigate criminal activities, based on the finding of the police; those seeking justice would have the benefit to get it.

    Analysts say if the states are made of executive, judiciary and legislature, it would be wrong not to have state police. They contend that the establishment of state police would speed up criminal investigation in the state, which is often bugged down by federal bureaucracy.

    Speaking on the lopsided federal structure of Nigeria, Sen. Olubunmi Adetunbi said the country has the unique opportunity to address some of the historical imbalances in Nigeria’s federalism.

    He said: “I am not surprised that in recent times, there has been a lot of debate for and against state police. The fact that Nigerians are debating it is a healthy development. The federal police in other places like United States of America (USA) have full authority to enforce federal laws at all level. The states in the US have state-wide police organisation that provide law enforcement duties in the states.’’

    Adetunbi explained that even in Britain, Nigeria’s colonial master has its territorial police which perform duties in defined jurisdiction. He cited India, Pakistan, Argentina and Ethiopia as countries with less sophisticated political structures, adhering to the principle of federalism.

    He said: “In Argentina, the job of policing the country is done not only by the federal police, but also by 23 provincial police forces.

    “In Nigeria, the state governments have the power to set up the executive, operate independent judiciary that has relationship with the federal government justice system. They have parliament, but they have no authority over law enforcement. It is an imbalance composition of a modern state. There should be a consensus on how states can police their territories.’’

    Those against state creation argue that the structure could be used for witch-hunting. They believe that many governors have the tendency to use power excessively. During the last general elections, the raw use of power was prevalent.

    They also argue that the creation of state police will lead to armed proliferation. This, according to the traditional ruler of Ossomala Kingdom, Anambra State, Chief Victor Awogu, the country is presently having security challenges because of too many arms circulating the landscape.

    He said if the 36 states are allowed constitutionally independent police, its means more arms would have to be put into circulation.

    Political analysts say the debate over the establishment of state police has been politicised. They argue that the division between the North and South over the matter could be gleaned from the fact that the bulk of those calling for its establishment are from the South.

    For instance, Senator Godswill Akpabio said state police is the only solution to resolving most of the intra- conflicts in the country. He said: “In most developed democracies, policing is not a federal thing alone. Policing 160 million Nigerians by the federal police alone is not possible. You must allow the local council to have its say in the policing. The state should have its say and the federal government should equally have its say.’’

    Sharing the same position on the creation local police, former Presidential candidate of the United Peoples Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said state police is the reform needed to check criminal activities and reduce corruption.

    He added that the country is too big geographically for the central police to oversee. Okorie added: “There are some states in the country that have far more number of Commissioners of Police that even the entire geo-political zones.

    “Let the revenue be adjusted to give to give the states more money to handle their police and it they decide to make everybody Commissioner of Police, it is their headache so that the normal growth and reward will be noticed.’’

    Former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa underscored the division between the North and the South over the issue of state police when he said state police is a weapon of oppression.

    He explained that their experience on the use of state police in the North was a bitter tale. According to him, it was state police that were used in rigging election and scaring voters from performing their civic responsibilities.

    Musa added: “I still hold to my position that state police is weapon against human rights. The police in the North was used against the people during election. In this dispensation, they will not be any different from the way they were used in the past.’’

    Defending the North’s opposition to the creation of state police, he said those who supported its creation in the North and used it to campaign during the elections have realised that state police is anti-people.

    He said: “That is why they have changed their position and no longer interested in supporting the creation of state police. They now understand that state police will work against the people and it is not a popular idea.’’

    Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida said in spite of the divergent views by different interest groups on the matter that there is need to forge ahead with the establishment of state police.

    He added: “There is the need for us to go forward; I don’t think thing there is anything wrong with state police. I believe that state police will work. In 1959, the local police were used to beat and harass people during election, but the situation is different today.

    “I don’t believe the fear of what happened in the 1950s should continue to haunt us; we should try to move on. We have gone beyond that level in this country. Honestly, I don’t think any governor today can use state police to intimidate and harass anybody.”

    Though the agitation for state police is weighty, it has not been able to scale through because of divergent proposition. For instance, during the last National Conference, it was expected that creation of state police would fly.

    “The idea suffered some setbacks when it was rejected. The Presidential Committee on Police Reforms opposed the creation of state police. According to the chairman of the reform committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Parry Osayande (rtd), the country would break up if introduced.

    “According to Osayande, if the Police Council functions properly, with the President as the chairman, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission being a member, the Inspector General of Police a member, then the police would function well. We don’t need state police. The country will break up.’’

    Human rights lawyer Femi Falana said the issue of state police is not about how prepared the country is for it. He noted that in a federal system of government state police is necessary.

    “The issue of establishing state police is not really about whether the country is ready for it or not. It is necessary in a federation. What has been militating against the re-establishment of state police has been the fear that the state executives, just like the Federal Government, can use it to harass political opponents.’’

    Tracing the history of state police in Nigeria, Edo State-based political analyst, Mr. Neville Obakhedo, said when the British established the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1961, it had 30-member consular guard in the Lagos Colony.

    He said in 1894 the Niger Coast Constabulary was put in place under the Royal Niger Company, Lokoja. But, with collapse of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, the police was merged and its headquarters was in Lagos.

    Obakhedo added: “It is this merger that had grown to become the centralised police system in Nigeria. This is at variance with the federal system of government currently operated in Nigeria.’’

    Political analysts equally believe that the call for state police was borne out of genuine and patriotic zeal. Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) Director of Strategy, Linus Okoroji, said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was one of the few patriots who identified the need to save Nigeria from incessant security failure.

    He said: “With regards to issue of state police, it was Tinubu who saw the need for it in his first term as governor of Lagos State. He saw that the security of state was porous, giving room for criminality.

    “There is the need for state police to effectively combat the ugly trend in Lagos State. If states have their police, they would battle crime to a standstill because they understand and know people who live within the locality.’’

     

  •  Lagos’ security, state police and special status

    Public security is the function of governments which ensures the protection of citizens, organizations and institutions against threats to their well-being and to the prosperity of their communities. Of late, there has been pervasive concern over the state of security in Lagos. Pockets of incidents of traffic and robbery cases across the state have heightened fears over security in the state. Unfortunately, it will be an arduous task to extricate the insecurity in the land from the socio-economic challenges that we currently face as a nation. Nigeria’s growing unemployment rate is of major concern. Official figures from the Bureau of Statistics put this figure at about 20% (about 30million). But this does not actually include about 40million other Nigerian youths captured in World Bank statistics in 2009.By implication, it means that 50% of Nigerians are unemployed.

    It is, therefore, imperative that concerted efforts be made by the federal government to fix the economy. A cursory look at apprehended criminals, of late, will reveal that most of them are unemployed people, especially artisans whose businesses have been crippled by the energy crises in the country. The most systematic approach to reducing crime in any society is through the provision of an enabling environment for entrepreneurship to thrive and catalyze employment generation.

    The current security situation in Lagos has connection with present economic downturn in the country. By 2016, unless a miracle occurs, a greater percentage of the states in the country might not be able to pay workers wages, not to talk of embarking on development projects. Few self-sustaining states like Lagos might have to really brace up as more pressure would be exerted on their socio-economic potentials. This is exactly what Lagos is currently experiencing. A recent data reveals that over 25,000 people move into Lagos on a daily basis from several parts of the country for various reasons. This is aside hundreds of others that daily troop into the state from neighbouring West African countries. Sadly, when their aspiration for economic salvation becomes a mirage, most of them readily take to crime.

    Despite the fact that security remains the exclusive preserve of the federal government, as it controls all security agencies, the Lagos State government has continued to invest heavily in security. In the last 15 years, for example, the state has invested billions of naira on the state police command as well as other security organs in the state. One of the earliest tasks of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was to meet with individuals and corporate organisations that made commitments of over N1billion in cash and kind towards advancing the course of a safer Lagos. Consequently, 10 brand new Hilux vehicles and 15 motorbikes were handed over to the Lagos State Police Command as part of the state government’s commitment to ensure a secured and investors’ friendly state. Likewise, 100 new power bikes, 10 armoured tanks and a helicopter have been acquired by the state government to reinforce the security of the state. This is in addition to the purchase of 100 new squad cars for a new initiative tagged Special Operation Service (SOS), which will harmonize community policing in partnership with the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    To properly address the security question in the state, we need to   tackle the contentious issue of state police. No matter how much a state government spends on security, the reality is that it has no direct control over any of the national security organs. The current centralized police structure in the country will continue to limit the capacity of states to effectively address security issues. Nigeria is too large and complex to be policed centrally. In an ideal federal system, the issue of state police should not be a contentious matter. In order to enhance security in the country, the issue of state police must be urgently addressed.

    Equally related to this is the issue of according Lagos a special status. The special position of Lagos as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, has its peculiar infrastructure and security challenges. Its sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic driven immigration, its ports and waterways, its border with Benin Republic, its high concentration of banks, industries, companies, and other commercial enterprises makes it a very complex state to govern.

    When the federal capital was moved from Lagos to Abuja, there was a subsisting agreement that Lagos would not be abandoned. However, successive federal administrations have refused to take a cue from countries which relocated their national capitals without abandoning infrastructure development of the former capitals. It is now time for Nigeria to imitate Germany, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia and Tanzania, which, after relocating their capitals, did not hold back developmental programmes in the former capitals. From 1954 to 1994, the capital of Germany was Bonn. It was moved to Berlin, following the endorsement of the ‘agreement of movement’ which spelt out the responsibilities of German government for the maintenance of the old capital and which it has been meeting conscientiously.

    Also, Brazil moved its capital from Rio-de Janeiro to Brasilia. To date, all federal roads, buildings and other infrastructure in both cities are maintained simultaneously by the central government. Malaysia has also maintained two capitals. Its old capital, Kuala-Lumpur, has been retained as the legislative capital, where the National Assembly operates. Its new capital, Putrajaya, which is the most computerized city in the world, is the administrative capital. In Australia, the old capital, Sydney, still enjoys special recognition. Although Canberra is the new capital, most activities of government, international conferences, party conventions and meetings still hold in the former capital city. The former capital of Tanzania is Dar-es-Salam. When Dodoma became the new capital, the old capital did not suffer neglect.

    The federal government should take a cue from these examples by according Lagos a deserving special status. There is hardly any Nigerian that doesn’t have a stake in Lagos. According Lagos a special status remains a necessary blueprint for addressing the state’s security and infrastructure concerns. It should, however, be noted that an effective public security cannot be obtained without the active involvement, participation and support of every segment of the society because public security is the responsibility of all individuals, groups, communities, organizations and other units  that constitute the state. In as much as everyone in a state pursues varied interests, the pursuit of public security should, nevertheless, be the common goal of all. The involvement and participation of individuals and non-governmental actors in the issues of public security is, therefore, a necessity for the actualization of a secured society.

     

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

     

  • Ex-DIG Omoeben backs state police

    Ex-DIG Omoeben backs state police

    A retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Mr. Chris Omeben, has lent his voice to the clamour for the creation of state police in Nigeria.

    Omeben, who turns 80 on Oct. 27, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

    NAN recalls that for years, different State Governments, groups and individuals have been clamouring for the creation of state police, arguing that it would address the problems of high-profile killings, kidnappings and crimes in general.

    They also argue that creation of state police would help to create jobs and instil sense of security among the populace as it would enable indigenes of any community “to identify who is who’’.

    It will be recalled that the National Conference convoked by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan listed the issue of creation of state police among “no go areas’’.

    Omeben told NAN: “I was opportuned to be a Deputy Inspector-General of Police and right from our days there has been this clamour.

    “I whole heartedly support the creation of state police for a very simple reason that it will check the “incessant cases of abuse by policemen and the “high and mighty in society.

    “Before, we had local, state police in the Eastern Region, the old Bendel State part of which is now Edo State, the Western Region and even the Northern Region and they did wonderful jobs.’’

    The retired police chief said that the clamour for state police now was because of the visible successes recorded by the local outfits then.

    He recalled that there was a time that the police had about 40,000 personnel “which was said to be good at that time’’.

    With that situation, he said, Nigerians then asked for an Inspector-General of Police, Deputy Inspector-General of Police and other positions.

    “But what is the current situation of the police? The population of the force is now over 200,000. How do you expect 200,000 people to be handled the same way 40,000 were handled? It is not possible.

    “I believe that every state should own a police and also have a Commissioner of Police, and we shall also have the federal police who will have an Inspector-General who will take care of standards.

    “All the forces must have the same standard and uniform all over the states but with the highest person in the state being a Commissioner of Police.

    “The federal police should handle federal cases or matters which are above the state power,’’ he told NAN.

    On the worsening cases of crime and traffic in Lagos, the former DIG said that the government should ban mobile shops and hawking on roads in the state.

    “It will reduce robbery and harassment by criminals on the roads during gridlocks.

    “I was glad when two years ago, the government planned to introduce a body to stop assault on the roads, especially during gridlocks.

    “The Nigerian police also have their own problems too. We have some police officers who take part in some notorious acts on the roads,’’ he said.

     

  • Lagos, traffic robbery and state police

    It was like a scene from a typical Nollywood movie. The setting was the ever busy Ojodu-Berger end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It was in the evening and traffic was expectedly heavy. Vehicular movement was almost on a standstill. The intermittent outpouring of rains complicated the situation for motorists and commuters. This, coupled with the irritating blares of horns by obviously agitated and exhausted motorists gave rise to a feeling that hell was already here. Suddenly, in the midst of the whole confusion, a skinny teenager, obviously using the sale of ‘gala’ to conceal his actual mission, dipped his hand into the dashboard of one of the vehicles trapped in the gridlock. With the dexterity of a professional thief, he made away with a cellphone and wallet stuffed with cash. The whole episode did not last for more than 30 seconds. It was so quick that it left both the victim and other motorists and commuters in the gridlock bewildered. Before anyone could say jack, the boy had dashed to the other side of the road and vanished into thin air. Welcome to the world of Lagos traffic robbers!

    In recent time, there has been an upsurge in the incidence of traffic robbery in Lagos State. The barefaced audacity with which these criminals perpetrate their evil act has become a source of great worry to commuters, motorists and residents alike. Some of the hoodlums who carry out the act occasionally place themselves on both sides of busy Lagos roads and attack unsuspecting motorists. Their mode of operation varies, depending on the exigency of the moment. Sometimes, they could bang on the vehicles of unwary motorists in order to lure them out of the car before pouncing on them. In some other instances, they knock at the glass of any car of their fancy to raise a false alarm of either a punctured tyre or that of a leaking fuel tank. The idea is always to ensure that motorists are tricked out of their vehicles or left off their guard to pave way for their dastardly act. However, the criminals could even be more daring as to break side glasses of vehicles, rob with unimaginable boldness and leisurely walk away as if nothing has actually happened. Everything usually happens in a twinkling of an eye such that the victims are often left baffled and speechless. The hooligans, who are mostly youngsters, prefer their victims to be female mainly because women’s resistance level is usually very feeble in such situations.

    Major routes where the dastardly act has become more widespread include Mile 2 –Badagry Expressway, Iyana-Ipaja/ Agege , Ikotun-Egbe road, LASU-Iyana Iba, Gbagada- Oworonshoki- Ketu routes, Ijora, Oshodi Oke, Ojuelegba, Murtala Muhammed Airport Road,  Ojota, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway among others. In most cases, traffic robbers, who operate in a commando fashion and in broad daylight, take advantage of the typical Lagos traffic gridlock which often hinders free flow of vehicular movement to rob commuters and motorists, sometimes at gun-point, of their valuables. Some of the criminals sometimes pretend to be road beggars in order to fool their victims. One aspect of the act that is quite worrisome is the fact that victims are often left on their own to deal with their plight. Other motorists and commuters, out of fear of being molested by the hoodlums, often stay put in their vehicles to mind their own business. The typical African brother’s keeper tradition amounts to nothing in this matter.

    Many have linked the fresh trend in traffic robbery to the current harsh socio-economic realities, rising unemployment, inflation, breakdown of societal values, moral decadence, drug abuse among others. Naturally, in discourses that concern such anti-social issues as traffic robbery, the tendency is always to blame the police for incompetence and slackness. But then, the truth is that the police like every other state’s institution are a part of the larger society and as such is not immune from the fallouts of major societal challenges. It is no longer a secret that our country is currently grossly under -policed. Therefore, expecting the Nigerian Police Force, which is made up of less than 400,000 men and officers, to efficiently contend with rising wave of criminality in the country, amounts to expecting the devil to embrace the gospel? The present policing ratio of 205 police officers per 150,000 people in the country is grossly inadequate.

    The current situation, therefore, brings back to the fore the contentious issue of the imperative for state police. The current trend where the Police Commissioner in a state will have to take orders from Abuja concerning security issues is quite complicated.  Ironically, almost all the governors in the country are investing heavily in the various police commands in their states. In Lagos State, for example, the government in the last 15 years has invested billions of naira on the state police command as well as other security organs in the state. In fact, one of the earliest tasks of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was to meet with individuals and corporate organisations that made commitments of over one billion naira in cash and kind towards advancing the course of a safer Lagos.

    Now, does it not amount to double standard that a governor bears such a huge responsibility, which in the first place should be that of the federal government, only for the system to turn around and deny him unhindered control of the same institution? It has been argued in some quarters that state police is nothing but a recipe for anarchy. The reality, however, is that the present centralized police structure has, over the years, been subjected to limitless abuse by the central authority. Nigeria is too large and complex to be policed centrally. In an ideal federal system, the issue of state police should not be a contentious matter. In order to enhance security in the country, the issue of state police must be urgently addressed.

    Meanwhile, motorists and commuters in Lagos are advised to always be on alert and keep valuables out of sight. They should always lock the doors and wind up glasses of their vehicles at flash points. They should also shun buying things in traffic for safety consideration.  They should be wary of ploy by miscreants who raise false alarms on the road with the intent of dispossessing them of their valuables. Everyone is a stakeholder when it comes to security. An effective public security cannot be obtained without the active involvement, participation and support of every segment of the society because public security is the responsibility of all individuals, groups, communities, organisations and other units that constitute the state.

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

     

     

  • Buhari should prioritise state police, says Abiara

    Buhari should prioritise state police, says Abiara

    The General Evangelist, Christ Apostolic Worldwide, Prophet S.K. Abiara, has urged the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to consider the introduction of the state police.

    Abiara told reporters at his Oke-Odo, Agbala Itura Church, Lagos, that introducing state police would reduce insecurity and tackle unemployment among youths.

    He said: “Nigerians are confronted with insecurity and poor electricity supply.

    “All these problems are parts of the issues that Buhari promised to tackle during his campaign, but it will be reasonable if he adds the introduction of the state police to his agenda.

    “If each of the 36 states recruit 5,000 youths as state police personnel, I am convinced that this will take many jobless youths off the street.”

    Abiara added. “Conceding defeat before the final result was announced even brought greater honour to President Goodluck Jonathan than winning the presidential election.

    “The President’s action also showed that he realised that power comes from God.”

    He, however, urged the President-elect to fear God in his dealings with the people.

    “Like Jonathan, Buhari will be surrounded by sycophants, but he should be careful in appointing his ministers and heads of agencies to avoid being misled,” Abiara said.

    He also called on the Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr. Akin Ambode, to always seek advice from Governor Babatunde Fashola and other former governors for him to succeed.

    “Ambode will need the advice from those who have governed Lagos  before for him to succeed because they contributed to his emergence as the governor-elect.”

  • Abia, Boko: Arewa, State Police, idiocy and us

    Some of my police – hating friends are still convalescing from a brand of shock last week what I defined to them as the injuries of idiocy. That idiocy is disability to see deep down through, right to the bottom of public policy or advocacy. The irrepressible Tai Solarin and Akin Aguda lent themselves to this danger in the movement of the Federal capital from Lagos to Abuja, believing the reasons for the relocation were pure as stated. President Ebele Jonathan fell for it in the campaign to prevent Nigeria’s 36 states from having their police forces, as the regions had in the First Republic. On Tuesday last week, the president must have had second thoughts when about 500 men from the northern Nigeria traveling in a 35-bus convoy were arrested at about 03.00am by soldiers at a road-block in Abia State. Two of the buses escaped into the dead of the night. Coming within 48 hours after the foiling of attempts by Boko Haram to bomb five churches in Owerri was foiled, the arrests fueled speculations that the 500 men were Boko Haram soldiers. The fear aligns with recent threats by Boko Haram that it would bomb oil installations in Port Harcourt and other parts of the Niger Delta. Northern leaders and youths immediately described the arrests as infringements on the right to free movement claiming the suspects were heading for Port-Harcourt in search of jobs. An attempt to free the suspects on bail has failed. And detectives have claimed one of the suspects was a key Boko Haram terrorist wanted by Nigeria’s Federal government and the United States. With that, the rest of the story-line can be pinned together. One fraction of the evolving story-line is that they were heading for Oron and, from there, the Cameroun border to pick arms, which are no longer readily available in the Nigeria’s northern border with Chad and Niger Republic.

    I suspect that, if they are Boko, their mission may include Bayelsa State, home state of President Jonathan. What better prize, apart from Abuja, would Boko have claimed for itself if it could blast Bayelsa real hard to tell the world a president who couldn’t defend his own village couldn’t be president of Nigeria? Psychologically, that would be bad not only for the President and his kith and kindred back in Bayelsa State, but the rest of the country. I suspect that, with that, mass movements would begin across the country, everyone to his or her own tent in his or her own native land. And this may be yet a drizzle foreboding a stormy rainfall ahead.

    With these events last week, it became clear to more people in the south of Nigeria, the ostriches and the doubting Thomases, that Nigeria is at war, a brand of civil war different from the classical civil war, and that many people down south have not seen this unfolding picture for what it is. Last week, this column described the ostrich as a stupid animal. When it senses or sees danger in its environment, it buries its head in the sand. It believes if it cannot see the danger, the danger cannot see it. As for doubting Thomases, they are people who see heavy clouds in the sky, do not believe it would rain, even lightning and thunder, in love, give them the final warnings and time to seek shelter. Last week, this column also published from the column of Gbogungboro in the The Nationon May 29, 2014. It suggests the north of Nigeria is under instruction from Sultan of Sokoto Ahmadu Bello to make Nigeria an extension of Uthman Dan Fodio’s empire by using the Middle Belt region to prevent the south from pursuing its destiny and making it a slave of the north. That charge, said to be in a speech of the Sultan 11 days after Nigeria’s independence from Britain, was quoted as follows in Gbogungboro  May29 2014 column in The Nation as stated:

    ‘Someday, some bright historians will reveal to the world the causes and details of this most unfortunate turn in Hausa-Fulani attitudes to the political development of Nigeria. Much of what we know is encapsulated in the statement credited to Sir Ahmadu Bello, the leader of the Hausa-Fulani political elite, only 11 days after the day of independence. This new country called Nigeria, ‘he was reported to have said, ‘should be an extension of the empire of our great-grandfather Othman dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of government. We used the peoples of Middle Belt as willing tools and the peoples of the South as conquered territory, and never let them rule over us, and never let them control their own future’.

    That is the path that Hausa-Fulani politics has pursued ruthlessly since then. The central piece of it is to hold the power of the federal government by all means, and to use it to subdue the other peoples of Nigeria, in order to mould Nigeria into a de facto Fulani empire- what some now call a ‘sultan-state.

    From this, the slogan, BORN TO RULE, which many southern people find objectionable has legitimacy in the northern script! So does Boko Haram, inherent in any public advocacy or debate is an item of this script. So, when the police road-blocks were dismantled, and many southerners rejoiced, did they look deep to the bottom of the ban? I remember telling my friends it was better for policemen to collect bribes at those check-points if their presence would deter criminals and enable us all sleep like babies at night. I said so, mindful of the claim that the police are armed robbers. But did we think that, if they did, they couldn’t do so from their barracks? In berating the police, we seem not to remember the social interchange theory. The police are not from planet Mars. They are bonafide members of our society. If we are corrupt, so will they. In the North-East, where it is most active, Boko Haram has exploited inadequate policing to great advantages. We saw the value of adequate policing when the traditional hunters of Borno took it upon themselves to police their towns and villages: Boko Haram activity stalled for a while. Those 35 bus loads of Boko Haram suspects from the north would not have moved as freely and as swiftly as they did if there were enough policemen on all the routes which yielded it free passage and one of the ways to do this is to let the states set up their own police forces.

  • Insecurity: Fashola reiterates need for state police

    Insecurity: Fashola reiterates need for state police

    Gov Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has advised the National Assembly to make laws to allow for establishment of state police in view of the security challenges in the country.

    The governor made the call at the 11th Lagos State Executive and Legislative Parley in Lagos on Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the parley had the theme: “Public Sector Management Engineering: The Continuing Story of Lagos”.

    According to him, the current security challenges demanded that the country adopted a new and different approach to address the problem.

    Fashola said that state police held prospects to address the country’s security issues.

    “The most urgent and compelling challenge our nation face now is that of security, law and order.

    “Of course, security, law and order are the very foundation of good governance and economic growth.

    “I believe the time has come for our national legislators to dig deep as no nation can have the kind of security challenge and refuse to be imaginative about law enforcement.

    “Whatever the arguments and fears about state police may be, the truth is that we have nothing to fear, but fear itself.

    “We must find the courage to do something new to bring collaborative capacity to law enforcement.

    “To the best of my knowledge, the constitution prescribes perhaps there shall be one police force, but it has not forbidden multi-level policing.

    “I believe very seriously that legislators can be imaginative and make a law that lives within the confines of the law to allow multi-level policing,” he said.

    Fashola also urged legislators to review the National Inland Waterways Decree to strengthen water transportation in the states.

    He contended that the laws limited the powers of states to freely use their inland waters as it placed the control of such waterways in the hands of the Federal Government.

    “Through that law today, our capacity to effectively operate our water transport is being impeded by federal agencies like the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

    “They require us to apply for permits to build jetties and terminals whereas water transportation is a concurrent matter under the constitution.

    “So, it is anomalous for NIWA to ask us to seek permission before building such facilities.

    “This is the time to review that law because it affects all the coastal states in Nigeria,” he said.

    Fashola advocated stronger relationship between the legislature and executive to deliver democratic dividends to the citizens.

    Mr Muslim Folami, Special Adviser to the Governor on Legislative Powers Bureau, said the parley was a platform for political office holders to brainstorm on ways to move the state forward.

    “So far, we have had 10 parleys which ended with various life changing resolutions to guide government on how best to move the state and nation forward,” he said.

    The parley was attended by federal and state lawmakers, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as members of the state executive council.

    Some of those at the occasion included Speaker of the State Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji , Sen. Ganiyu Solomon, Rep. Yakub Balogun and the state APC Deputy Chairman, Mr James Odunbaku.

    Prof. Ademola Popoola of Obafemi Awlolowo University delivered a lecture titled: “Towards Consolidating and Improving the Gains of Democracy in Lagos”.

  • Set back for state police at Conference

    Set back for state police at Conference

    State police could not scale through committee level at the National Conference yesterday.
    Its advocates failed to convince others in the Committee on Power Devolution to transfer it to the Concurrent List that would enable States to share power and responsibilities on it with the Federal government.
    Delegates were divided as they argued along geo-political lines with Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Gbade Adedeji, Senator Tony Adefuye, Chief Okey Ikedife and Chief Adeniyi Akintola in favour of a decentralised police.
    Alhaji Dambatta Magaji and Col Usman Farouk led the northern delegates’ agitation against a decentralised police structure.
    For the protagonists of state police, state governments have been funding the Police as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to adequately cater for the institution.
    Chief Adebanjo, who noted that a decentralised police force was a key factor in a federal system of government, pointed out that note should be taken on the need to reduce the burden of governance in the Federal Government.
    “If the country wanted federalism, it should not run away from the things that make a federation. For instance, the problem of Boko Haram could have been better handled if the country had a police structure that could keep track on the local people and identify  deviants before they get out of hand.
    Besides, he noted that the unitary structure of the Police was largely responsible for the growing insecurity in Nigeria as men and officers of the Police were largely strangers in their places of assignment.
    Antagonists of the state police, led by former Governor of the defunct North Western State, Col. Usman Farouk,   said criminals could commit crimes in one state and take refuge in another.

    Defence chief defends Armed Forces

    The Chief of Defence Statff (CDS), Air Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday said the Armed Forces should not be discredited.
    The CDS said there was no truth in the insinuation of friction between the Minister of Defence Gen. Aliyu Gasau and the service chiefs.
    Badeh stated this in response to the memorandum on alleged mal-administration in the Armed Forces submitted to the sub-committee on defence infrastructure of the National Conference by retired Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali.
    On counter terrorism measures, he said the insinuation in the Dan-Ali’s memorandum that the counter-terrorism measures adopted by the Armed Forces have failed, casts aspersion on the Armed Forces and the political leadership of the nation.
    “This is regrettable, especially coming from a source that is in a better position to appreciate the complexity of asymmetric warfare. It is hoped that highly placed individuals would refrain from making inflammatory statements that are likely to undermine morale in the Armed Forces of Nigeria and jeopardize military operations,” he warned.
    The CDS, who was represented by Assistant Director (Legal Services) Defence Headquarters, Col. G.O. Anyalemechi, responded blow-by-blow to allegations of mal-administration made by Dan-Ali in his memo to the National Conference.
    He noted that although the sub-committee called for memorandum from the general public, it was not clear whether it was appropriate for a conference delegate to submit a memorandum on a subject which he may ultimately preside over.
    He insisted that the perceived failure as alluded to in the memorandum by Dan-Ali was capable of undermining the corporate existence of the country.
    Conference delegate, he said, should not allow it to happen.
    On the command and control of the Armed Forces, he said: “This Headquarters disassociates itself from any imagined friction between the Honourable Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs.”
    He said the Armed Forces Act has clearly defined functions and assigned responsibilities with respect to the general administration of the Armed Forces.
    The Act, he said, also established Councils and Boards chaired by the Minister of Defence.
    “Indeed, the total subordination of the military to civil authority is not an issue that should be belaboured. The Honourable Minister of Defence superintends over the Defence Ministry which encompasses the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
    “Undoubtedly, the minister does not take part in actual military operations, and may not, in those circumstances, exercise operational command and control of troops. That does not in any way dilute the democratic imperative of civilian control of the Military,” he said.
    On alleged illegal detentions and extra judicial trials, he noted that the Armed Forces Act   makes copious provisions on arrest, detention and trials.
    The Act, he added, also makes provision for appeals by aggrieved personnel just as it made provision for prolonged detention of Service personnel in the interest of public order and Service discipline.
    The CDS said the absence of specific example by Dan-Ali in his memo makes a comprehensive response to his allegation impossible.
    He said the discriminatory legal reviews as alleged in the memo do not exist in Armed Forces of Nigeria because legal reviews are carried out by legal experts in the respective Directorates of Legal Services, which are manned by qualified lawyers.
    The Directorates, he said, review Court-Martial cases and advise the Army Council, Navy Board or Air Council, as the case may be.
    He added that as an institution manned by human beings, they cannot claim infallibility in all respects.
    “It is, therefore, pertinent to note that, shortcomings attributable to human factor cannot be elevated to discrimination, as insinuated in the memorandum. Above all, the provision on review of Court-Martial sentences in Sections 154 and155 of the Armed Forces Act are discretionary in nature, each case being treated on its merit.”
    On corruption, he said the memorandum also failed to provide verifiable data upon which the allegation was based.
    “Nevertheless, it has been posited that corruption is the bane of the third world countries of which Nigeria is one. It is hoped that the current Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government, which includes the Armed Forces of Nigeria, would bring about the desired change in the polity.
    “There is, therefore, no basis for the misgiving expressed by the author over perceived corruption in the Armed Forces,” he said.
    He said promotions in the Armed Forces are guided by clear provisions of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service, as amplified by individual regulations applicable to the Services.
    He noted that generally, promotion in the Armed Forces is a privilege and not a right.
    He added that for a senior officer to be eligible for promotion, he must satisfy certain conditions.
    The conditions, he said, include deployability, good confidential report, specific academic and professional qualifications as well as establishment vacancy, amongst others.
    He said the conditions are adhered to as much as they are humanly possible.
    On the issue of Federal Character, he noted that it is pertinent to state that Federal Character is also adhered to, especially at the point of entry into the Military.
    “However, as commissioned officers grow in rank, they are required to scale various hurdles in order to be eligible for promotion,” he said.
    Barde said the allegation of mal-administration in the Armed Forces as contained in the memo have far-reaching implications on the general administration of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and by extension, national security.
    “This is particularly worrisome as no specific examples were given in the memorandum to substantiate the allegations and claims by the author.
    “It is instructive to observe that the Armed Forces Act, the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service as well as other internal regulations of respective Services, contain adequate provisions and guidelines on general administration and discipline of the Armed Forces.
    “The Nigerian Armed Forces have over the years endeavoured to adhere strictly to these provisions. This accounts for the cohesion and unity of purpose that define the corporate existence of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” he said.

    Committee backs SIEC

    The Conference’s Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters yesterday endorsed the continued existence of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SEIC) for the prosecution of elections at the Local government level.
    The Committee, co-chaired by former Senate Presidents, Ken Nnamani and Prof. Iyorchia Ayu,  also invited the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Prof. Atahiru Jega to appear before it today for interactions on electoral matters.
    The Committee is set to consider placing the SEIC on first line charge and well as authority it regulates its own procedures.
    According to Ayu, who said the tenure of Prof. Maurice Iwu as Chairman of INEC was the worst in the history of the country, said Nigerians are agitating for the independence of SEIC because conditions have improved under the present electoral body.
    The Committee was of the opinion that INEC should not be burdened with Council elections going by the lapses witnessed in previous general elections executed by INEC.
    The delegates have also advocated for the strengthening of the SEIC to make it effective, efficiently as well as empower it against being turned to pawns in the hands of State executives.
    Olusola Ebiseni from Ondo State said there were contradictions inherent in calls for true federalism and the removal of SEIC.
    Besides, he noted that the existence of SEIC was a constitutional matter as mentioned in Section 197 while the State, as a federating unit is expected to handle the affairs of the Local government as part of its residual functions.
    According to him, if democratic structures were allowed to endure, good governance would be encouraged that would result in less corruption and by extension, less agitations from Nigerians.
    Ebiseni, who was a member of a sub-committee set up on how to strengthen SEIC, said the Committee would explore means of placing SEIC on forts line charge.
    Secondly, he said the Committee would seek how the SEIC would be empowered to regulate its own procedures without seeking approval of the governor.
    Former Governor Achike Udenwa said rather than ask for the scrapping of the SEIC, it should rather be strengthened through the appointment of its members.
    He suggested that political parties with members in the State House of Assembly, religious bodies, trade unions as well as members of he Civil Society Organisations (CSO) should be members of the commission.
    He also said the SEIC should be backed by strong laws while asking the legislature to wake up to its responsibility of calling the executive to order when it is going out of its bounds.
    In his submission, former Governor Olusegun Osoba, who supported Udenwa on the need to strengthen the SEIC, said issue of finance is critical to the Local government, which was responsible for its manipulation by the governors.
    According to him, it was the federal allocation for local council that the governors are using to control the local government.
    He said the manner local government are run by governors was not fair, adding that  if the issue of finance can be resolved in favour of the local council, governors would have less over bearing influence in the affairs of local government, including local elections.
    Sidi Ali from Northwest said SEIC should be re-energised but that the powers of the President and governors  should be removed as sole appointees of Chairmen of INEC and SEIC.
    Senator Mohammed Jibril said it was INEC that should rather be strengthened and that ‘mushroom commissions’ like SEIC should not be allowed to exist.
    He was supported by Musa Salihu,who regretted that governors have too much influence on the SIEC. He said: “Scrap SEIC, there is no need to strengthen them, they are too corrupt,” he added.
    Anayo Nnebe also advocated for the scrapping of SEIC, saying: “INEC has never delayed national elections for a month, but SIEC always does. It should be scraped from the constitution. They do governors biddings only.”

    NULGE: let local govts be

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Nigeria Youth for Positive Change (NYPC) have urged the National Conference not to sanction the removal oflocal government system from the constitution.
    NULGE’s President Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel and NYPC President Nasiru Kabir, in statements, said any move to expunge the system from the structure of government would be resisted through popular protest.
    The NULGE president said: “The attention of NULGE has been drawn to the position of the Committee of the National Conference on Power Devolution and Structure of Government at the on-going National Conference. The committee was reported to have resolved that local government system in Nigeria should be put under the control of the state government and should also be expunged from the constitution.
    “With due respect to eminent Nigerians who constitute this committee, this position is arbitrary and without taken into consideration the feelings of Nigerians and recommendations of panels and committees; government white papers and National Assembly resolutions on the desirability of local government autonomy. The union posits that this position is inimical to the good interest of our dear country.
    “The union knows that the issue of local government is an almost settled matter through various past efforts. The National Conference can only build on this and adopt it for a ground norm in Nigeria and not to sabotage or put the country in a reverse gear through its positions.”

  • Uduaghan and state police

    The question of state police has been an enduring debate in the polity. This contention should be unnecessary because we are a federation. And each component part, which is a state, is a federating unit, and that should guarantee its entitlement to undertaking its own security measures.

    But Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State gave the argument what many will describe as native wisdom. In a recent interview with this newspaper, he simplified it to what security experts would call local policing.

    Said he: “I have always believed in state police. It is not just because we are funding police, but it is because of the ability of the local person who is the police force to work better than the foreigner. What do I mean by the foreigner? You bring someone from Maiduguri as a policeman to the community. He really does not have a stake, so to say. It will take him some time to know the place. When you have a lot of criminal activities, his ability to even know who is involved is not as good as the person who comes from the community. Two, he can do anything and get away with it. But when you have somebody from that community, apart from the fact that the person knows the in and out of that community, if he misbehaves, it will backfire on his family and relations.” Bull’s eye!

    Those who cavil at the desirability of state police ought to understand that the local policing is also a democratic idea. It is about a police force that holds a strong credential of legitimacy where it operates.

    We have always failed in Nigeria to understand that the most important approach to security is intelligence. When we bring a so-called stranger to a community he knows little about, he can work his way to legitimacy but that is not an easy proposition. He, sometimes, in this multi-ethnic society, does not even understand the culture deep enough. He may not understand the local language, and he has to rely often on a long process of mediation from locals before he can make judgment on matters of local urgency.

    This can be dangerous in a volatile society like ours where crime can escalate fast. If it is a matter of terrorism, or a matter of armed robbery or even kidnapping, judgment of the quick variety are essential.

    The sense of individual legitimacy is also intelligence in its own. When the police officer feels as sense of stake in the community, he or she would want to be a hero or heroine on that community rather than an indifferent bully or a hectoring presence.

    Uduaghan also gave instance of the United States where policing is fragmented to cater to the smallest community.

    “If you go to a state in America, apart from the state police, they even have county police. Even the universities have their police, so you are able to deal with smaller issues,” he said.

    With the police legitimately engaged in the local area, the state is able to collaborate with the federal on larger issues. This simplifies security and puts all in context.