The Presidential Committee set up to look into calls for the establishment of State police in the country said such development will result to the disintegration of Nigeria
This was contained in a report submitted to the Presidency by the presidential committee headed by Parry Osayande.
The committee did not mince words when it stated that adherence to such calls will result to enthroning anarchy. That aside, the committee added, the security implications, funding of state-owned Police will be too burdensome for state governments due to a combination of competing demands and the meagre resources at their disposal.
Parry Osayande, chairman of the committee and retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, disclosed the committee’s preference for a virile and efficient National Police Council (NPC) that will benefit from the wisdom of state governors who are the chief security officers of their states.
The committee observed that the existence of the NPC with financial autonomy will not only end the calls for state-owned Police, but also enhance professionalism in the force.
Equally, the committee urged the government to scrap the Ministry of Police Affairs, explaining that its existence is a drain on the funds that should be directly managed by the office of the Inspector General of Police.
Condemning remuneration in the Force which it described as abysmally lower than that of its peers in the West African sub-region, the committee recommended upward review of salary, provision of relevant equipment, and attitudinal reorientation of officers.
Osayande’s words: “State Police? It is irrelevant. The states 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.
“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 trilateral arrangement for organisation 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 fulfill its constitutionally assigned role of administering, organising and generally supervising the Nigeria Police.”
On other matters, he said: “The committee thus supports the recommendation of the M.D. Yusuf 2008 committee on the reform of the Nigeria Police that Police should henceforth be jointly funded by the three tiers of government.
“The finance of the Police should be extricated from the ‘envelope system,’ which leaves it at the mercy of the Ministry of Finance that provides a budget template that promotes corruption and discourages the Police from influencing the budget process.
“The fiscal and financial responsibility and accountability of resources of the Nigeria Police should be vested in the Inspector-General of Police who is the operational head of the Police.
“The Inspector-General of Police should exercise this authority through prudent budgeting (using activity-based costing), and input from all the different Police Commands and Formations with the aim of achieving a decentralization of police resources. He should present the financial statements, annual budget, his policing plan, and the report of the activities of the Police to the Nigeria Police Council, which would take ownership of the budget while the Inspector-General defends it at the National Assembly.
“One of the benefits of this is that state governors would have had the benefit of a firsthand knowledge of the budget and the report of the activities of the Police, and they would be encouraged to contribute to the funding of the Nigeria Police force.
“Also I want you to tell Nigerians that even though the Police is bad, we still need it. We need reorganization, we are going to change, and we need their support. Things will change, and things are changing. You will agree with me that since this new IGP came, things have been changing,” he concluded. ###
previous post
next post
