Nigeria-is-not-yet-ripe-and-ready-to-have-state-police
September 7, 2020 | News
NIGERIA IS NOT YET RIPE AND READY TO HAVE STATE POLICE
With reports that the National Assembly is still posed on altering the provisions of Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to create room for State Police in Nigeria, we consider it necessary to reiterate that the lawmakers should desist from such moves for the sustainability of the nation’s democracy. The House of Representatives was reported to have made progress on its bid to establish State Police by passing a bill on the matter for first reading. Having passed first reading, the House, following established procedure, will set another date for the opening of debate on the general principles and second reading of the bill. Agreed that the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) seriously needs more attention and proper funding, however, we strongly believe that Nigeria, as it is at the moment; is not yet ripe nor has it attained the required ‘maturity’ to have State Police like we have in the United States of America (USA).
The call for the introduction of State Police has lingered for long now. In fact, the decentralization of the Nigeria Police to accommodate State Police was even included amongst the 633 Recommendations contained in the National Conference Report, which many are calling on the current Presidency to implement. To some Nigerians, it is a very good idea. And the same argument has been put forward to back this. Most of which is hinged on the fact that it is because of the inadequacies associated with Federally–controlled-Police to combat crimes and insecurity in the country, lack of competence, clumsy procedures and processes in the deployment of Police in State of emergency and the lack of control of the Police by Governors as Chief Security Officers in their respective States, etc. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was recently reported to have said that State Police remains the surest way of tackling the current security challenges like Fulani herdsmen attacks on communities/farmers in parts of the country. Osibanjo said it was no longer practicable to police a country as big as Nigeria from Abuja. Also, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State recently said State Governors must be empowered to exercise control on security agencies in their domains and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look for more competent hands as Security Chiefs.
However, no matter how valid or convincing the argument for State Police introduction may sound, the bottom line is that Nigeria, at its present state of ‘political maturity’, is not ripe/mature enough, or does it have what it takes to manage the spill-over effects/disadvantages of State Police across the country. And for us to understand and appreciate the basis for this line of thought, it is imperative to critically look at the indices that make Nigeria not ready to accommodate the demands of State Police like we have in the USA and other developed climes. If we allow State Police, that means we will have 36 State Police Forces plus that of the Federal Police Force in the country. This is ludicrous. And also, there are far more pressing issues, considered as the ‘root’ problems of insecurity in this country, which if addressed holistically; this argument of having or not to have State Police would not arise in the first place. Many Nigerians like us, are opposed to the idea of State Police, including some ex-police Chiefs and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). We believe the idea can best be described as an invitation to Chaos in the country.
Some few months ago, a former Commissioner for Police, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi (rtd) also urged the National Assembly to desist from altering the provisions of Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution as amended for the sustainability of the nation’s democracy. Adetuyi stressed and warned that such bid would not only be a “recipe for chaos, but also a lethal poison to true federalism in the Nigeria context.” He dispelled the justification for the amendment, which he said was to satisfy the selfish interest of the Governors, whom he emphasized, borne out of his experience in the course of service, to serve the whims and caprices of the State Governors. He remarked that if the directives of the governors are within the purview of the Police Act, it is serious dereliction of duty for any police commissioner to ignore such order.
In the words of Adetuyi: “Most times, what brings conflict is when the Governor asks the Commissioner to do something outside the Police Act,” referring to such excesses when he served as Commissioner for Police in Kogi State. “I told him that was not my duty. The Governor did not like it and said I was romancing with the opposition party. A few days later, I was transferred to Yobe State, but I did not care.” The ex-police officer turned lawyer who represented the police in the 2014 National CONFAB in Abuja, said the committee on security, only recommended that there should be decentralization of powers for police and not State Police. Adetuyi advocated that instead of creating State Police, the lawmakers should decentralize the Police for better performance and make better legislation to address the ‘poor conditions of police officers.’
This is a Nigerian Police Officer speaking from his experience and painting the exact danger posed by the nation having State Police. The truth is that the National Assembly should not politicize the Nigerian Police Force with its ongoing constitution amendment process. They should be very careful with what they do so that we do not have a Police Force with undue interferences from State Governors. For those who are arguing that a State Governor, as the Chief Security Officer of the State should have ‘control’ over the Commissioner of Police in that State, and why should State fund a Police they do not have control over. The real questions are, what has State Governors across the federation been doing with all the so-called Security Votes they get all these years in addressing the security concerns in their respective States? More so, is the Police supposed to be ‘under the control’ of State Governors? The Police is supposed to be a ‘neutral body’ just like the judiciary, and not to be under the control of any State Government. What exactly are they suggesting? Will the Assistant Inspector Generals (AIGs) in each Zone be reporting or directed by State Governors? Will the Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) be reporting to the Governors? We can see that the said amendment will create a lot of confusion within the system – a situation where we might end up having two or more captains in a Ship. This is a recipe for disaster.
Considering the sort of democracy, we practice in Nigeria, where a typical Nigerian Politician is seen as ‘Lord’ and ‘Master’ over his subjects that supposedly elected him/her into public office, we can imagine what would be of our electoral process and atmosphere at the State level. Obviously, they would use their state police to cause havoc for both their political opponents and the general masses, reminiscent of how some of them had used their State electoral commissioners to have their way up to the political ladder. The Nigerians political class has over the years, succeeded in making the country’s electoral system and the process to be ridden with fraudulent electoral malpractices of the highest order. And they use every instrumentality within their arsenal, including the Police, to achieve their goals to either remain in public office or to enthrone one of their loyalists to continue from where they stopped after leaving office. Now if they can actualize this at the moment, we can imagine what they can do when the State Executives of Government are given the power of State Police – it is a clear ‘death to opposition’ dynamics of our democracy. Seriously, the creation of State Police in Nigeria as it is, will lead to the eventual disintegration of Nigeria. Allowing the State Government to control the Police would lead to anarchy because of existing issues among some States and regions in the country.
As a country operating a Federal System of Government, there is actually nothing absolutely wrong in us having a State Police to reduce the ‘burden’ of the centre in managing this, but because of our ‘style’ of operating the constitution and our disregard for laws and order, coupled with the level of illiteracy and immaturity of most of our public office holders; the establishment of State Police may be too early because we are “democratically immature”. In other words, the introduction of State Police can only be good if, and only if we have the right orientation and discipline amongst the Nigerian political leaders. It will take for us to fully imbibe the right attitudinal behaviours and democratic ideals which are germane to the establishment of State Police. This is to allow us get to a point where State Police will not be used to witch-hunt political opponents by those in power; or whittle down the professionalism in the Police Force; or be used for election rigging plus other unconstitutional attributes. Another factor that needs to be considered, here is the fact that most States across the nation cannot afford to adequately fund and maintain a State Police as expected. Some States across the country are still struggling to pay ordinary salaries of public servants with many still owed several months, to the extent that the Federal Government has come to bail them out on few occasions. We can then imagine what will happen if they add the burden of State Police.
We believe the agitating for State Police is nothing but a way of empowering State Governors to become ‘power drunk’. If we really want ‘sustainable peace’ to prevail in this country, then the Nigerian political leaders across all boards should improve in the act of ‘good governance’ and strive to eradicate poverty and hardship to the barest minimum. They can do this by focusing more in providing basic infrastructure and a conducive atmosphere for different economic activities to thrive. No country can develop by mere wishful thinking. We see no reason why, for instance, oil rich States like Delta State should not be like Dubai, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Jersey, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Washington DC, Washington, Georgia, Minnesota, etc. by now. It is a shame that in Delta State, despite it having several natural ports, not one is functional. It is a shame that the Osubi Airstrip is still an airstrip despite its importance to air transportation and the economy of the State, if it was transformed to a Standard Airport.
We believe the politicians clamouring for State Police are the ones responsible for the insecurity in Nigeria. Truth be told, if we decide to allow the 774 Local Government Councils to own and operate their own Police Force without holistically tackling and addressing the poverty situation in the country and putting in place the basic infrastructure for economic growth; it will not amount to anything or address the insecurity situation in the country, even if we allow every Nigerian citizen to carry a gun and become a Police officer, without addressing the issues of hunger and poverty, it will not solve the problem of insecurity. Our Nigerian politicians should not shy away from their responsibilities of ensuring ‘good governance’.
The truth is, if our political leaders would stop the ‘misappropriation of public funds’ and use the money for the holistic development of the State and people, we are certain the insecurity issues in the country will be very minimal. Massive basic infrastructural development is the only way to stimulate economic growth and drastically reduce unemployment. We can say that about 80 per cent of the insecurity situation in our country is ‘poverty-induced’, hence addressing this should be the primary focus of the Executive Governments and the Legislatures. In Delta State, local host communities have been fighting over the oil company Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) money given to them for Community Development. But the level of poverty is making the community leadership of these host communities to fight each other to the finish. But if there were apparent development that is being driven by the people under a government-developed robust economy, we will not be having such issues abound in these host communities. In Russia for instance, which is regarded as the highest gas producing country in the world, nobody is talking about or thinking of “host communities’ fighting and agitations for one thing or the other.” There is nothing like ‘host communities’ in places like Louisiana, Alberta, Texas, etc, that are known for their oil and gas reserve/operations, there is nothing like agitations of host communities for one thing or the other. That tells us that all these agitations and fighting we see within/between host communities in Nigeria, are caused by abject poverty.
For us, State Police is not a priority project the lawmakers and political leaders should be wasting their time on. Yes, the NPF needs some reforms, especially in their rank and file, personnel wellbeing, re-training and re-equipping, but all of this can be done without creating State Police. Nigerian Political leaders should use and target their energies on infrastructural development to attract investors and improve the economy.
Zik Gbemre, JP.
With reports that the National Assembly is still posed on altering the provisions of Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to create room for State Police in Nigeria, we consider it necessary to reiterate that the lawmakers should desist from such moves for the sustainability of the nation’s democracy. The House of Representatives was reported to have made progress on its bid to establish State Police by passing a bill on the matter for first reading. Having passed first reading, the House, following established procedure, will set another date for the opening of debate on the general principles and second reading of the bill. Agreed that the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) seriously needs more attention and proper funding, however, we strongly believe that Nigeria, as it is at the moment; is not yet ripe nor has it attained the required ‘maturity’ to have State Police like we have in the United States of America (USA).
The call for the introduction of State Police has lingered for long now. In fact, the decentralization of the Nigeria Police to accommodate State Police was even included amongst the 633 Recommendations contained in the National Conference Report, which many are calling on the current Presidency to implement. To some Nigerians, it is a very good idea. And the same argument has been put forward to back this. Most of which is hinged on the fact that it is because of the inadequacies associated with Federally–controlled-Police to combat crimes and insecurity in the country, lack of competence, clumsy procedures and processes in the deployment of Police in State of emergency and the lack of control of the Police by Governors as Chief Security Officers in their respective States, etc. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was recently reported to have said that State Police remains the surest way of tackling the current security challenges like Fulani herdsmen attacks on communities/farmers in parts of the country. Osibanjo said it was no longer practicable to police a country as big as Nigeria from Abuja. Also, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State recently said State Governors must be empowered to exercise control on security agencies in their domains and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look for more competent hands as Security Chiefs.
However, no matter how valid or convincing the argument for State Police introduction may sound, the bottom line is that Nigeria, at its present state of ‘political maturity’, is not ripe/mature enough, or does it have what it takes to manage the spill-over effects/disadvantages of State Police across the country. And for us to understand and appreciate the basis for this line of thought, it is imperative to critically look at the indices that make Nigeria not ready to accommodate the demands of State Police like we have in the USA and other developed climes. If we allow State Police, that means we will have 36 State Police Forces plus that of the Federal Police Force in the country. This is ludicrous. And also, there are far more pressing issues, considered as the ‘root’ problems of insecurity in this country, which if addressed holistically; this argument of having or not to have State Police would not arise in the first place. Many Nigerians like us, are opposed to the idea of State Police, including some ex-police Chiefs and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). We believe the idea can best be described as an invitation to Chaos in the country.
Some few months ago, a former Commissioner for Police, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi (rtd) also urged the National Assembly to desist from altering the provisions of Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution as amended for the sustainability of the nation’s democracy. Adetuyi stressed and warned that such bid would not only be a “recipe for chaos, but also a lethal poison to true federalism in the Nigeria context.” He dispelled the justification for the amendment, which he said was to satisfy the selfish interest of the Governors, whom he emphasized, borne out of his experience in the course of service, to serve the whims and caprices of the State Governors. He remarked that if the directives of the governors are within the purview of the Police Act, it is serious dereliction of duty for any police commissioner to ignore such order.
In the words of Adetuyi: “Most times, what brings conflict is when the Governor asks the Commissioner to do something outside the Police Act,” referring to such excesses when he served as Commissioner for Police in Kogi State. “I told him that was not my duty. The Governor did not like it and said I was romancing with the opposition party. A few days later, I was transferred to Yobe State, but I did not care.” The ex-police officer turned lawyer who represented the police in the 2014 National CONFAB in Abuja, said the committee on security, only recommended that there should be decentralization of powers for police and not State Police. Adetuyi advocated that instead of creating State Police, the lawmakers should decentralize the Police for better performance and make better legislation to address the ‘poor conditions of police officers.’
This is a Nigerian Police Officer speaking from his experience and painting the exact danger posed by the nation having State Police. The truth is that the National Assembly should not politicize the Nigerian Police Force with its ongoing constitution amendment process. They should be very careful with what they do so that we do not have a Police Force with undue interferences from State Governors. For those who are arguing that a State Governor, as the Chief Security Officer of the State should have ‘control’ over the Commissioner of Police in that State, and why should State fund a Police they do not have control over. The real questions are, what has State Governors across the federation been doing with all the so-called Security Votes they get all these years in addressing the security concerns in their respective States? More so, is the Police supposed to be ‘under the control’ of State Governors? The Police is supposed to be a ‘neutral body’ just like the judiciary, and not to be under the control of any State Government. What exactly are they suggesting? Will the Assistant Inspector Generals (AIGs) in each Zone be reporting or directed by State Governors? Will the Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) be reporting to the Governors? We can see that the said amendment will create a lot of confusion within the system – a situation where we might end up having two or more captains in a Ship. This is a recipe for disaster.
Considering the sort of democracy, we practice in Nigeria, where a typical Nigerian Politician is seen as ‘Lord’ and ‘Master’ over his subjects that supposedly elected him/her into public office, we can imagine what would be of our electoral process and atmosphere at the State level. Obviously, they would use their state police to cause havoc for both their political opponents and the general masses, reminiscent of how some of them had used their State electoral commissioners to have their way up to the political ladder. The Nigerians political class has over the years, succeeded in making the country’s electoral system and the process to be ridden with fraudulent electoral malpractices of the highest order. And they use every instrumentality within their arsenal, including the Police, to achieve their goals to either remain in public office or to enthrone one of their loyalists to continue from where they stopped after leaving office. Now if they can actualize this at the moment, we can imagine what they can do when the State Executives of Government are given the power of State Police – it is a clear ‘death to opposition’ dynamics of our democracy. Seriously, the creation of State Police in Nigeria as it is, will lead to the eventual disintegration of Nigeria. Allowing the State Government to control the Police would lead to anarchy because of existing issues among some States and regions in the country.
As a country operating a Federal System of Government, there is actually nothing absolutely wrong in us having a State Police to reduce the ‘burden’ of the centre in managing this, but because of our ‘style’ of operating the constitution and our disregard for laws and order, coupled with the level of illiteracy and immaturity of most of our public office holders; the establishment of State Police may be too early because we are “democratically immature”. In other words, the introduction of State Police can only be good if, and only if we have the right orientation and discipline amongst the Nigerian political leaders. It will take for us to fully imbibe the right attitudinal behaviours and democratic ideals which are germane to the establishment of State Police. This is to allow us get to a point where State Police will not be used to witch-hunt political opponents by those in power; or whittle down the professionalism in the Police Force; or be used for election rigging plus other unconstitutional attributes. Another factor that needs to be considered, here is the fact that most States across the nation cannot afford to adequately fund and maintain a State Police as expected. Some States across the country are still struggling to pay ordinary salaries of public servants with many still owed several months, to the extent that the Federal Government has come to bail them out on few occasions. We can then imagine what will happen if they add the burden of State Police.
We believe the agitating for State Police is nothing but a way of empowering State Governors to become ‘power drunk’. If we really want ‘sustainable peace’ to prevail in this country, then the Nigerian political leaders across all boards should improve in the act of ‘good governance’ and strive to eradicate poverty and hardship to the barest minimum. They can do this by focusing more in providing basic infrastructure and a conducive atmosphere for different economic activities to thrive. No country can develop by mere wishful thinking. We see no reason why, for instance, oil rich States like Delta State should not be like Dubai, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Jersey, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Washington DC, Washington, Georgia, Minnesota, etc. by now. It is a shame that in Delta State, despite it having several natural ports, not one is functional. It is a shame that the Osubi Airstrip is still an airstrip despite its importance to air transportation and the economy of the State, if it was transformed to a Standard Airport.
We believe the politicians clamouring for State Police are the ones responsible for the insecurity in Nigeria. Truth be told, if we decide to allow the 774 Local Government Councils to own and operate their own Police Force without holistically tackling and addressing the poverty situation in the country and putting in place the basic infrastructure for economic growth; it will not amount to anything or address the insecurity situation in the country, even if we allow every Nigerian citizen to carry a gun and become a Police officer, without addressing the issues of hunger and poverty, it will not solve the problem of insecurity. Our Nigerian politicians should not shy away from their responsibilities of ensuring ‘good governance’.
The truth is, if our political leaders would stop the ‘misappropriation of public funds’ and use the money for the holistic development of the State and people, we are certain the insecurity issues in the country will be very minimal. Massive basic infrastructural development is the only way to stimulate economic growth and drastically reduce unemployment. We can say that about 80 per cent of the insecurity situation in our country is ‘poverty-induced’, hence addressing this should be the primary focus of the Executive Governments and the Legislatures. In Delta State, local host communities have been fighting over the oil company Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) money given to them for Community Development. But the level of poverty is making the community leadership of these host communities to fight each other to the finish. But if there were apparent development that is being driven by the people under a government-developed robust economy, we will not be having such issues abound in these host communities. In Russia for instance, which is regarded as the highest gas producing country in the world, nobody is talking about or thinking of “host communities’ fighting and agitations for one thing or the other.” There is nothing like ‘host communities’ in places like Louisiana, Alberta, Texas, etc, that are known for their oil and gas reserve/operations, there is nothing like agitations of host communities for one thing or the other. That tells us that all these agitations and fighting we see within/between host communities in Nigeria, are caused by abject poverty.
For us, State Police is not a priority project the lawmakers and political leaders should be wasting their time on. Yes, the NPF needs some reforms, especially in their rank and file, personnel wellbeing, re-training and re-equipping, but all of this can be done without creating State Police. Nigerian Political leaders should use and target their energies on infrastructural development to attract investors and improve the economy.
Zik Gbemre, JP.