Northern governors ask n’assembly to fast-track state police bill

The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has called on the national assembly to fast-track the passage of the bill for the creation of state police.

Muhammadu Yahaya, governor of Gombe and chairman of the forum, spoke in Kaduna on Saturday at the end of a joint meeting with members of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council.

Yahaya said the forum also called for a review of the country’s security strategy to address the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks and violent killings in the north-central zone.

He said a mutually beneficial resolution was reached on the tax reform bills following the position of the forum on the matter.

Yahaya said the forum commended President Bola Tinubu for listening to stakeholders on the matter and his “commitment to inclusive governance”.

“I am pleased to report that through the platform of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the national economic council, and in consultation with the leadership of the national assembly, we found a way forward that will lead to a mutually beneficial resolution of the matter,” he said.

“We recommend that going forward, such a collaborative approach should guide all matters of intergovernmental relations in the interest of the people.”

The Gombe governor said the state of infrastructure in the northern region is worrisome, adding that some projects awarded in the past have been neglected.

“The state of infrastructure in Northern Nigeria remains a cause for major concern,” he said.

“While we acknowledge President Tinubu’s commitment to completing the ongoing Kaduna-Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail line, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway, and the AKK gas pipeline among many others, other projects like the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line, Kano-Maiduguri expressway, and Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu expressway which were awarded in the past, remain in a serious state of neglect.

“In the same vein, no state of the north-east was captured in the federal government’s superhighway project.

“We must therefore explore innovative financing options, including public-private partnerships and infrastructure bonds, in order to bridge this gap and lay a solid foundation for agricultural production, industrialization and growth.”

In a communique released at the end of the meeting, the forum said it resolved to immediately “set up inter-state platforms to coordinate surveillance on our joint borders”.

“The forum resolved to liaise with the Nigerian Governors Forum to work out modalities of how to increase support to the federal security forces,” the communique reads.

“The forum reiterated its support for the creation of the State Police and called on the national assembly to expedite action on the enactment of the legal framework for its take-off.”

The bill for the creation of state police is currently at the national assembly.

The legislation proposes to transfer the term “police” in the 1999 constitution (as amended) from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.

However, critics have argued that state governors could abuse such a policing system, using it as a tool to intimidate dissenting voices.

Proponents of the state police believe that the system will allow states to tackle their insecurity challenges at the local level without relying on the federal government.