RENEWED HOPE FOR NIGERIA FEDERALISIM AND STATE POLICE……. Akinyemi Akinlabi

Request for true federalism, state police and resource control has always been a major request by notable leaders in Nigeria since the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. They are part of a bundle call restructuring of the country. This request is often led by Nigeria’s living elder statesmen and experienced first republic politicians who saw good government before the military incursion in politics. Nigeria democratic federalism has remained polluted since the military regime of General Aguyi Ironsi moved the nation from a real federation to a unitary system of government in 1966. Since then, we have been having a diluted or polluted federalism. Obviously, Nigerians under the age of 60 have not seen real federalism unless they lived outside Nigeria where democratic federalism is practiced. Unfortunately, more than 80% of those ruling Nigeria today are under the 60 years age. By inference, my generation doesn’t know good government let alone a federal democracy. Luckily for Nigeria of today, we now have a president above this age who knows about these, beliefs in it and capable of delivering it.

These living political legends (who populate Afenifere, PANDEF, ACF, NEF) are the strong advocates of true democracy today. According to Daily Trust of September 15th, 2022, The Secretary General of the ACF, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu said that ‘the position of the ACF remained that states should be given the powers to police their jurisdictions’. This is because every tier of government, federal, state or local needs certain degree of police force to enforce law and order within its domain.

Although Nigeria is a federation of thirty six (36) states and local government numbering Seven Hundred and Seventy-Four (774), one federal capital territory (FCT) and six area councils in the FCT. The federating units have limited powers compared with central government. The central government is so powerful that when it sneezes, the rest federating units catch cold. This has made it impossible for any Nigerian under the age of 60 to have seen, felt or experienced a good government unless such persons have been privileged to have lived in another country where a good federal democracy is practiced. This position on state police is strongly supported by many progressive Nigerians. The speaker of Lagos State house of assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa (Punch July 21st, 2023).

There is no way Nigeria will have true federalism and enforcement of all laws, bye laws, ordinances and edicts without decentralizing the protection of lives and properties of over 200 million people spreading over 924,768 km square. In a true federalism there is devolution of power and sharing of responsibilities among the federating units (national, state and local government).

Each level of government is expected to have a form of law enforcement officers to make sure citizens comply with her laws and ensure sanctions for lawless and disobedient citizens. Although there is no perfect federal state anywhere, USA is very close to perfection security-wise. Therefore there are CIA and FBI to enforce federal laws, each of the 50 USA states has state troopers (state police) for state laws and county police for local laws. It will be lawlessness aberration and usurp of power for a federal police to enforce a state law.

The law enforcement power in Nigeria is over centralized despite the fact that commission of crime is not centralized by the lawbreakers. The armed forces, secret police, civil police, investigating agencies, prosecuting agencies and all law enforcement powers are within the exclusive power of the federal government. They are controlled from the center in Abuja, FCT. This puts the force in the firm and total control of the federal government. The law enforcement power should be devolved to concurrent legislative level whereby every tier of government will have some law enforcement powers. For example, federal police can be in charge of federal crimes relating to: evasion of federal taxes and custom duties, felony, treason, armed robbery, drugs, currency counterfeiting, international crime, felony, forgery of government instruments, immigration, custom etc.

State government should be made to enforce laws relating to: land dispute, traffic laws, battery, aggravated assault, robbery, corrections, education laws violation, vehicle inspection, medical malpractices and other laws made by the state government as may be appropriate. In Lagos State for example, Neighborhood Safety Corps is performing roles of police just like LASTMA. In Ogun State, TRACE is performing the same role. In South Western State, the status of Amotekun may be upgraded to state police with limits set for the extent of their powers and authorities.

At the local government level, there may be cooperation between Amotekun and the vigilantes to enforce laws like: domestic violence, land dispute, violation of tradition and culture, theft, family dispute, divorce, collection of taxes and levies, violation of parking zone, market fees, farmers and headers feud, inter-tribal conflicts, violators of environmental sanitation laws and the likes.

The relative peace we have in Nigeria today is because a lot of courageous abled bodied young men are volunteering to do community policing and they actually do more than the government paid law enforcement in the name of various organizations like Vigilante Association of Nigeria, Peace Corps, Man O War, Hunters, OPC, Niger Delta Volunteers, Hisba etc. Should these volunteers seize to exist. The insecurity in Nigeria will be fully exposed and life will be solitary, poor, nasty, and short (Thomas Hobbes).

These untrained volunteer and unpaid voluntary security agents are currently making up for the deficiency in the expected security workforce of Nigeria. According to Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nigeria needs at least additional 190,000 officers to complement the existing 350,000 officers and men (the cable news). He said this at the defense week of Senior Executive Course 45 of Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Jos in August 30th, 2023. It is only if these numbers of people are recruited to the force that the Nigeria will be close to the United Nations recommended ratio of one policeman to 650 citizens (UN).

Considering the courage, commitment, dedication and patriotism these untrained organization members put into the passion to provide security, it will be advisable that if the recommendation of the IGP to recruit is accepted, recruits should be sourced and trained from among these volunteers and then deployed to serve as state and local government police as been recommended here and by notable Nigerians and organizations mentioned earlier.

Many opponents of this proposal are of the genuine fear of the possibility of state governors to abuse this power when granted. Their fears are unpretentious because the constitutionally given power the states have over the local government authorities has been grossly abused by most governors. Despite this reality, it is the right thing to do, safety measures just need to be put in place to prevent this abuse of power. Since it worked in Nigeria when we were less developed before 1966 and it currently works in other countries, it should be made to work here.

Apart from the above, most antagonists also stated that the powers may be used as a tool by the governors to torment and victimize political opponents. Although this cannot be ruled out, the ability of the system to correct and moderate itself should be relied upon. There is no way this will not happen. It will eventually fizzle out. Because the advantage of engaging community policing is far higher than its disadvantages.

Finally, it is normal for people to prefer status quo to new innovations even when the innovative idea will serve them better. That is human nature. For example, a minister of communication once said that Nigerians will abuse the use of mobile phones to commit crimes and we were not ready for it. Mobile phones are now everywhere. People use it for crime. Yet its positive contribution to lives is far better. Similarly, it was reported that around 1807 when streetlights were about to be introduced in London, some priests protested that it is an abomination and will cause wrath of God to attempt to turn night to day.

Since we are now blessed with an Asiwaju presidency, who had the opportunity of seeing local police in a democratic setting before 1966, he saw it all over the world, he has always been in the fore front of demand for state police, restructuring and true federalism, Nigerians should now believe that the right time for unbundling of the over centralized force is here and safety of lives and properties is around the corner.