AMID growing calls for the replacement of the current national police apparatus with state-run police outfits in Nigeria, a presidential committee installed to oversee the reorganization of the Nigeria Police has stated its opposition to the idea, arguing that doing so will, among other things, be inimical to stability of the Federal Republic.
This position of the presidential committee was revealed at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, where the chairman of the committee, Mr. Parry Osayande, had gone to submit his committee’s report to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr. Osanyande also expressed his opposition to the existence of a ministry of police affairs, saying that not only was its continued existence illegal, but a drain on the limited financial resources available to the Nigeria Police.
Instead, the presidential committee chairman called for the strengthening of the Police Council, comprising the president and commander-in-chief of the federal republic as chairman, and the Police Service Commission as member, to carry out its statuary functions as stated in its codes of establishment.
According to him, the police will function a lot better if it is allowed a greater degree of financial autonomy, where it will be better empowered to plan and allocate funds to its priorities without waiting on other government ministries to release needed funds.
Osayande also said that state governments are not financial viable enough to run police organizations which, according to him, are expensive to run.
“State police? It is irrelevant. They cannot afford (it). Do you know how much it is to police a country? What we are recommending is that they allow the Police Council to function, said Mr. Osayande, stating his opposition to the idea.
Explaining his vision for an effecting police organization in Nigeria, he said that “The President is the chairman, the chairman of Police Service Commission is a member, governors are members, the IGP is a member, and (governors) will bring their policing plan to the council. They will now decide on what to do. We don’t need state police; the country will break up, take it from me.
“The Constitution provides a tri-lateral arrangement for organiation and administration of the Nigeria Police Council, the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police.
“However, it is a known fact that the Nigeria Police Council is inactive as it hardly meets, and hence does not fulfil its constitutionally assigned role of administering, organising and generally supervising the Nigeria Police.”
“The result is that some of the projects being executed are not priorities to the Police. This is an aberration which has led to abuse, misapplication and hemorrhage of the limited resources made available to the police”.