Di Senate don promise to begin urgent deliberation on state police dis week, as part of effort to tackle di growing insecurity wey dey worry di whole kontri.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, talk for media briefing with Senate correspondents say di matter don become priority among oda issues for di ongoing constitutional review process.
According to am, di upper chamber dey committed to support Nigerians demand for state policing and don already hold series of consultations with relevant stakeholders.
“We dey stand with Nigerians on state police. Dat one go come to fruition dis week during plenary,” e say.
“We don dey hold series of meetings with stakeholders and we go fast-track deliberations so dat di bill fit proceed to di 36 state houses of assembly and eventually receive presidential assent,” e add.
Di Senate Leader also describe di current calls for probe of di military as unpatriotic, arguing say such move go amount to misplacement of priorities given di kontri current security challenges.
On di controversy surrounding lawmakers remuneration, e assert say di Senate go soon address public concerns by ensuring say details of senators salaries and allowances, as well as those of ministers and oda public office holders, go dey published.
E make di remarks while responding to recent court pronouncements wey reportedly describe di purchase of 110 billion naira SUVs and allowance scheme for lawmakers as illegal.
Defending di acquisition, di Senate Leader again maintain say di vehicles were provided to facilitate constituency engagements and oda official duties.
“Every vehicle wey dem give us na for constituency work and oda official assignments. Public office holders dey entitled to such provisions. E no be strange or peculiar to lawmakers for Nigeria,” di senator talk.
E add say di Senate no dey surprised by di criticism, noting say di legislature oversight responsibilities often attract opposition and hostility.
Meanwhile, preparations dey top gear for public presentation of book titled: “The Imperative of State Police in Nigeria,” written by ex-Delta State Information Commissioner, Magnus Onyibe.
Di book come at critical period for Nigeria history when killings, kidnappings, banditry, and oda violent crimes don continue to escalate nationwide.
Wetin initially appear concentrated for North-East and parts of North-Central region don now spread extensively into South-West states like Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo, for dimensions wey never witness before.
Dere dey growing fears say di menace fit further extend into Ogun and Lagos states if decisive and far-reaching security measures no dey urgently implemented to halt di activities of rampaging criminal elements.
Di urgency of di national security situation don further dey underscored by di abduction of school children for Ogbomosho area of Oyo and Uba Askira for Borno state.
Recent remarks credited to di President of di Senate, Godswill Akpabio, wey disclose say di Presidency and di National Assembly dey set to fast-track constitutional templates for di establishment of state police structures for Nigeria, don further intensify national discourse on di imperative of restructuring Nigeria policing architecture.
Di book, wey consist of 19 thought-provoking articles written and published by di author for mass media from as far back as 2002 to date, dey chronicle di evolution of insecurity for Nigeria and dey present compelling arguments for di establishment of state and local policing systems as strategic response to di nation worsening security challenges.
Widely regarded as one of Nigeria most accomplished media columnists and respected thought leaders, Onyibe, through dis publication, don assemble, for one authoritative volume, di critical insights, historical perspectives, and policy recommendations required to guide lawmakers and policymakers for amending di 1999 Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria to accommodate state and local policing structures.
Di foreword to di book dey written by distinguished professor of strategy and public policy, Prof. Anthony Kila, while di afterword dey authored by former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Alapini (rtd), a seasoned policing expert with extensive hands-on experience for law enforcement and internal security administration for Nigeria.
