President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.
President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu maintained that the creation of State Police has become imperative
to address Nigeria’s scary security
challenges, as he noted that State policing will enhance capacity of the subnationals to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.
He maintained that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.
“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear.
What you have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us the havoc and we should pull together, unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight.
It’s a good thing that we are working in harmony, looking for a country that evolves, that takes care of its citizens and protects all of us.”
President Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.
“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.
“You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the President said.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the President for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.
He assured that the 10th Senate under his watch would continue to sustain the harmony between the Executive and the National Assembly through speedy passage of Executive Bills.
He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.
