The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said that the senate has indicated interest in the establishment of state police.
The lawmaker pointed out that both chambers have agreed to review the constitution to accommodate state police if that will end insecurity in the country.
Adaramodu stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday.This was just as security experts, Civil Society Organisations, and Nigerian Federalists, have commended President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors for considering to push for a legislation that would lead to the creation of State Police.
He opined that the decentralisation of the country’s security architecture would end kidnappings, banditry, terrorism and other crimes being experienced in Nigeria, according to ThisDay.
In a related development, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere has insisted on restructuring the political system in the country, even as it lauded the National Assembly for waking up to the reality of the need to cut costs of governance in Nigeria.
The group recalled that President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, met with state governors in Abuja, during which they considered the possibility of setting up state police which is against what is contained in the nation’s constitution that placed it on the exclusive legislative list.
A bill seeking to effect a change in the system of governance of Nigeria from the present presidential to parliamentary system passed through the first reading on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Titled, “The Bills Proposing Constitutional Alterations for a Transition to Parliamentary System of Government”, the bill was sponsored by 60 Members of the House of Representatives led by Hon. Wale Raji representing Epe Federal Constituency in Lagos State – and 59 others.
At a press conference that was later addressed by Hon. Abdulssamad Dasuki from Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency, Sokoto State, the sponsors of the bills asserted that the presidential system that was used to supplant the parliamentary system ran in the First Republic meant an, “adoption of a new system of government, theoretically fashioned after the presidential system of the United States but in practice, imbibed the uttermost attributes of military rule”.
Speaking further, Adaramodu said the constitution review committees of the red chamber would soon be inaugurated for the purpose of amending some aspects of the nation’s laws.
He noted that the Senate was ready to read the body language of Nigerians and come up with laws that would make lives meaningful to them.
Adaramodu said, “The parliament is to make laws and the laws that the parliament will make will not be generated outside of the interest and aspirations of Nigerians.
“So, if either the federal government or the state governors or whoever wants state police, so be it. We are ready to review our laws to accommodate it.
“The Senate is about to inaugurate the constitution amendment committee and then when we now put the panel in place, members will now go out there and meet up with all the critical stakeholders in Nigeria within the sectors, traditional rulers and so on and so forth. So, when they now meet and then we aggregate and we know that this is what Nigerians want; that is the law that we are going to make. Our laws would represent what the people want and it must be the people’s law. Once it is going to be the people’s law, whatever kind of police that we want in Nigeria that Nigerians want that is what the National Assembly will give to them.”
