State Police Bill: Nigeria lawmakers go vote on new law as insecurity dey increase
Wia dis foto come from, NPF/Facebook
Di Nigeria House of Representatives go consider and vote on di final draft of di constitution amendment bill to create State police services for di kontri, among oda tins.
Dis move on Thursday dey come as di insecurity situation for di kontri dey on di rise wit plenty kidnapping incidents for different regions.
Even Nigeria President Bola Tinubu don tok plenty times in support of State police and e ask di lawmakers to come up wit new laws to make am hapun.
For dis statement on Wednesday, di tok-tok pesin for di House of Reps, Akintunde Rotimi, tok say di new bills wey dem go vote on on Thursday na result of serious work wey di House Committee on Constitution Review don dey on for several months.
Rotimi tok say dem get di opinions of plenty sabi pipo for govment institutions, professional bodies, civil society organisations, and even traditional rulers and ordinary from all ova di kontri.
Oda constitution amendment bills wey di House of Reps go vote on include di ones wey concern electoral reforms, judicial reforms, local govment administration, women representation in politics, etc.
Deputy Speaker of di House of Reps, Benjamin Kalu, tok say dis constitution amendment process don pass tru plenty consultation, scrutiny, and bipartisan collaboration.
"As di House dey prepare to vote, we remain guided by our constitutional responsibility to strengthen democratic governance, deepen federalism, promote inclusion, enhance security, and build institutions wey go fit meet di demands of a modern and prosperous nation," Kalu tok.
Wetin be dis State Police Bill?
Wia dis foto come from, Benjamin Kalu/Facebook
E get at least two constitution amendment bills wey concern di decentralisation of di current Nigeria police force wey dey for Section 214 of di 1999 Constitution, to make room for State police.
Di major aim of di bills na to remove di police from di exclusive list and put am for di concurrent list of di laws of Nigeria.
Items wey dey for di exclusive list na tins wey only di federal govment get power to handle, organise and regulate, but items for di concurrent list na tins wey both di federal govment and State govments fit chook mouth.
For example, for February dis year, president Tinubu sign di new electricity bill into law, removing electricity from di exclusive list to di concurrent list, wey mean say different States now get power to generate and distribute dia own electricity witout needing to rely only for di national grid.
States like Abia and Imo don since take advantage of dis new bill to set up dia own electricity companies and start to dey generate dia own power.
For dis new bills, dem define State Police as law enforcement agency wey dey established to "operate specifically for di state level, to maintain law and order witin dia jurisdiction".
One of di bills for State Police na Senate Bill (SB) 248 by Ajibola Bashiru of Osun State.
Dis bill want make dem change di name of di Nigeria Police Force to di Nigeria Police Service, and allow di creation of State Police, State Police Councils and State Police Service Commissions, just like e be for di federal level.
According to di bill, both di National Assembly and di State House of Assembly go get powers to make law on di creation, formation and control of di police for di respective levels.
Di State police council go get di duty of supervising and organising di activities of di State police, and also na dem go advise on who to appoint as di State commissioner of police; while di State police service commission go get disciplinary powers ova members of di state police.
Di oda bill wey concern di police na SB 306 by di senate majority leader Opeyemi Bamidele. Dis one seek to comot di word 'force' from di Nigeria Police Force, and just leave di name as di Nigeria Police.
Oga Bamidele say dis go reflect di core mandate of di police to provide "civil services" to di citizens of Nigeria.
Di bill also want di appointment of di Inspector General of Police to dey subject to di approval of di Senate.
For di House of Reps, di bills dey co-sponsored by di deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 14 oda members.
Wia dis foto come from, Opeyemi Bamidele/Ajibola Bashiru/Facebook
Di tok about State police for Nigeria don tey wen e start, but one of di biggest worry be say State govnors fit use di State police to carry out dia own personal agenda, intimidate political opponents, and even use dem to do beta wuruwuru during elections.
However, sponsors of di State police bill say dem put some kain safeguards wey go make sure say govnors no get 100 percent control to use di State police as dem want.
Some of dis safeguards na:
- Even though na govnors go dey appoint Commissioners of Police for di State, di appointment go be by di recommendation of di Federal Police Service Commission and di State Houses of Assembly gatz approve am.
- State Commissioners of Police fit report alleged unlawful directives from dia govnor to di State Police Service Commissions for review.
- Di Federal Police Service Commission go still get authority to make sure say evri State Police dey folo di correct standard of policing. Dem go also dey supervise compliance and dem go dey review di operations of di State police from time to time.
- If dia is complete breakdown of law and order for any state wey di State Police no fit handle, di federal police fit come in if di State govnor invite dem to intervene.
- Di State Police Service Commissions go dey made up of members from di National Human Rights Commission, di Nigerian Bar Association, di Nigerian Labour Congress, di Public Complaints Commission, retired police officers, and journalists.
But some critics tok say even wit dis measures, State govnors go still find way to abuse di State police structure to dia own advantage.
Some suggest say more measures suppose dey in place inside dis bill, like clear provisions for di constitution against partisanship for police work; to establish a clear use-of-force standards for di kontri; and compulsory independent auditing of State Police operations from time to time.
