***Anambra gov, Senator Bamidele raise funding concerns 

*** Govs Mbah, Lawal, Abiodun hail move, assure on state assemblies support 

***Sen. Oshiomhole,  Reps’ Dep. Speaker allay fears of abuse as Sen. Akpoti – Uduaghan, Ukeje caution

By Ezeocha Nzeh 

Anambra State Governor,  Charles Chukwuma Soludo has raised concerns over the capacity of state governments to adequately fund the proposed state police,  which  is expected to take effect soon.

Governor Soludo who raised  the concerns, when he spoke at the ARISE News Town Hall  on State Police in Abuja  on Thursday, noted that Nigeria has moved beyond debating to establish state police, adding that the focus should now be on designing an effective framework while pursuing broader constitutional reforms to strengthen the country’s federal security and justice system.

The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who spoke virtually from Awka, his state capital,  described the proposed creation of state police as part of a wider journey towards a more functional and effective federal system,  even as he called for broader reforms to revenue allocation and the judiciary to guarantee affective implementation of state policing.

He commended the National Assembly for its swift response to passing the state police bills and advancing the constitutional amendment that backed up the president’s signing of the bill to establish it, noting that the national conversation has already settled the question of whether state police should exist.

“The issue is no longer whether or not to have state police. I think we have gone beyond that. The issue now is how.

“I will not spend time talking about what we did in Anambra to clear eight local government areas that were under siege, dismantle 62 criminal camps or end the sit-at-home disruptions. Those successes required coordination and collaboration with federal and private security agencies.

“There are ongoing efforts involving the National Security Adviser, the Attorney General, the Chief of Staff to the President and governors to work out the details. There are practical issues, including the types of arms and ammunition state police should use. You cannot send officers carrying inferior weapons to confront criminals armed with AK-47 rifles and General Purpose Machine Guns.”

The governor, however,  emphasised state police should not be considered in isolation,  stressing  the urgent need for a broader restructuring of Nigeria’s security and governance architecture.

He explained that while significant progress had been made through constitutional devolution of powers —including electricity market reforms, local government autonomy and state policing—critical reforms remain outstanding.

“I am afraid this whole issue of state police should not be seen in isolation. It must be viewed within the context of what I call the unfinished business of building a sustainable federal security and justice system.”

“There are still many elephants in the room. Yes, we have seen devolution in electricity markets, local government autonomy and now state police. But responsibilities are being transferred from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List without corresponding changes to the revenue allocation formula.

“The federal government still retains about 53 per cent of federation revenue, while states share only about 26 per cent. If we truly want sustainable federalism, then we must revisit the revenue allocation formula. The federal government should retain no more than 40 per cent of federation revenue, with the balance devolved to the states

“The second unfinished business is the federal judicial system. We currently operate what is essentially a unitary judicial structure.

“If somebody steals a pot of soup in a village in Anambra and the matter goes to court, the appeal can end up at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Land is exclusively a state matter under the Land Use Act, yet land disputes in Anambra—which account for nearly 70 per cent of litigation and even violence because of our limited landmass—can take 30 or 40 years before reaching final judgment.”

The governor argued that such cases should terminate within state judicial institutions.

“I do not understand why issues relating to land should go beyond the state. In the United States, from where we copied our federal system, every state has its own Supreme Court 

“As states begin establishing their own correctional centres, imagine convicting someone only for the appeal process to remain in the federal courts for another 30 or 40 years over a village land dispute. That does not make sense.

“As part of this conversation, we need a broader discussion about building a more sustainable federal security and justice system. That includes the devolution of resources and a fundamental restructuring of our judicial architecture.”

“Let this conversation move towards building a more sustainable federal structure. That is the unfinished business before the National Assembly and the President, who has consistently demonstrated his commitment to advancing true federalism,” Soludo stated

In his own submissions, Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele warned that inadequate funding could expose the newly proposed security outfit to political interference, as well as criminal infiltration and undue influence from private interests.

Bamidele who called for financial independence for the agency, said that would be the only way to determine the success of state policing, stressing that the institution must not be left at the mercy of state governors.

He further explained that the constitutional amendment before the National Assembly seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish police services without making it compulsory for every state to do so immediately.

“If the state police is not well funded, it may as well be a highway to nowhere,” he said.

“It’s not every state that will immediately… say, ‘We’re launching our state police.’ All we are trying to achieve is to move this duty from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List

“It’s not only state actors or politicians that can abuse this. Business class, some other organisations, even criminals can abuse it because it is a case of he who pays the piper dictating the tune,” he warned.

To prevent such interference, Bamidele proposed legal provisions guaranteeing an independent source of funding for state police, including setting aside a fixed percentage of every state’s annual budget for policing.

“It might mean that part of the legal provision will be that a certain percentage of the state budget will have to be reserved for the police. The mode of accessing this funding should also be clearly spelt out,” he said.

Other speakers at the Town Hall, including governors Peter Mba (Enugu state), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara state), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun state), as well as senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, RT Hon. Benjamin Kalu, expressed optimism that the state police will function effectively to address the increasing security challenges in the states, even as they assured that state assemblies will pass the bill together, allaying fears of abuse by state governments

Meanwhile the senator representing  Kogi central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti -Uduaghan, as well as former lawmaker and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Nnenna Elendu -Ukeje called for caution on the rush to establish state police.

The former Member of the House of Representatives warned that Nigeria risks building state police on a weak foundation, insisting the country must first rebuild and strengthen the Nigeria Police Force before creating 36 new state policing institutions.

While senator Uduaghan expressed deep fears that the state police could be negatively used by the controlling political actors against their opponents, Hon. Ukeje said the growing pressure to establish state police reflected Nigerians’ frustration with worsening insecurity, even as she cautioned against mistaking urgency for preparedness, insisting that while she supports devolving policing powers, the country must first put the right institutions in place.

Ukeje noted that the current centralised policing system is still struggling to cope, emphasised that the country must first set the necessary groundwork before embarking on such a far-reaching reform.

“If we do not have a strong national police force, it will be difficult to build 36 effective state police forces on the foundation of a weak national police

“As a result, the police itself has effectively been ‘de-policed’. In many places, large numbers of police officers have been killed alongside military personnel. They have not been adequately replaced. In the South-East, where many of us come from, numerous police stations have been burnt down. Those stations have not been rebuilt,” Ukeje added.

“I support devolution. However, I believe the immediate move towards state police must follow a clearly defined process,” the ex-lawmaker said.