Opeyemi Bamidele: Senate working on state police legislation to tackle insecurity

Opeyemi Bamidele, leader of the senate, says the national assembly is developing legal frameworks to establish state police as part of efforts to address insecurity in the country.

In his Easter message on Sunday to felicitate with Christians across the world, Bamidele, who represents Ekiti central senatorial district, cautioned political actors against exploiting the country’s security and economic challenges for personal gain.

The senator called on leaders at all levels to avoid divisive politics and rhetoric, warning that such conduct could further complicate Nigeria’s challenges.

“As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, it is exigent we reflect on His virtues; learn from His consecration and live His life of purpose rooted in the pursuit of justice, love and redemption for humanity,” Bamidele said.

“Despite the animosity He suffered and opposition He faced, Jesus Christ consciously sought and secured freedom for the captives, peace for the troubled, comfort for the sorrowful, love for the dejected, justice for the oppressed and hope for those who are in despair.

“In Nigeria today, Christ’s example clearly presents us a glimpse of how we should live together as compatriots and not competitors, collaborators and not combatants, comrades and not contenders in the task of building a viable and virile federation that will serve the interest of all.”

The senator described recent killings in Benue and Plateau states as a negation of the peace and love Jesus Christ taught during His lifetime.

“The recurrent utterances by some political and sectional figures also belied the values of courage, perseverance and tolerance He evidently lived for,” Bamidele said.

“No country develops as a result of one section rising up against another vice versa.

“While the Authority of the National Assembly is in the process of developing legal frameworks for the establishment of state police as one of the measures to address insecurity in the country, we urge security agencies to work together as a team to track and apprehend all the masterminds and sponsors of terror attacks nationwide.

“We appeal to some political actors that always lash on the country’s challenges to push divisive narratives to learn from the example of Jesus Christ.

“Such actors are no longer playing opposition politics, but simply taking advantage of the country’s internal conditions in the pursuit of their own parochial political outcomes.”

He said the legislature remains committed to the development of Nigeria, irrespective of political or religious divides.

“Nigeria is our ultimate project. As a parliament, we are committed to the actualisation of this project,” he said.

“This is evident in all the legislative initiatives we are pushing since the birth of the 10th National Assembly. And our goal is to build a federation that will be noted for peace, progress and prosperity anywhere in the world.

“Regardless of their ethnicity, politics and religion, all actors should shun all forms of divisive utterance and join forces against the common foes of Nigeria and not to subvert our effort to build a strong and virile federation.”