The Conference of Speakers of State Legislators, Southwest, has paid a courtesy call on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to commiserate with him over the recent Ibadan explosion.
Governor Seyi Makinde, while receiving the speakers, maintained that there was need for collaboration and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government, irrespective of their political parties, in order to deliver dividends of democracy and bring development to the people.
While speaking on the security challenges in the country, Governor Makinde noted that the refusal of the Nigerian Government to approve the Southwest governors’ demand to establish state police a few years ago by the Muhammadu Buhari-led government birthed the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun.
He said: “I disagreed at that particular time and still disagree to date that the states are not in the position to maintain state police. I have never seen where the Federal Government went to a particular state and gave the police everything they needed. So, the states are already maintaining the police.”
He said it was Saying important for the Nigerian Government to revisit the matter.
State Police
The governor, alongside the Southwest speakers, reiterated the call for the establishment of state police, saying it has become imperative to surmount the insecurity challenges facing different parts of the country.
Governor Makinde said the police are on the exclusive list, but if that responsibility is split and states have to run their police system, they should have access to resources from the federation account to meet the responsibility of maintaining the police.
“Give us the responsibility first and see if certain states will be able to maintain it or not. But since we could not get state police, we settled for Amotekun. All the state assemblies in the Southwest passed a common law for its establishment. So, we have to be pushing for state police, and you lawmakers have a role to play to make that a reality,” the Governor saidm
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislators, Southwest and Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, described Makinde as a dynamic governor, while he also lauded his efforts in re-engineering Oyo State through various developmental projects.
Aribasoye commended the governor for his proactiveness and prompt response to the unfortunate incident at Bodija.
Continuous Support
He expressed confidence that there would be continuous support and harmonious relationships between the legislative and the executive arms of government for better governance.
Fielding questions from reporters shortly after the visit, the Chairman said the visit is part of visits to all the states in the Southwest on the need to have regional integration and development, and also to look at the issues of security, particularly in the Southwest region.
Aribasoye revealed that the visit is also to call for multi level policing, for the Southwest to have state police and move policing from the exclusive list to the concurrent list whereby each state of the federation can also on their own take control of the security situation in their states.
He stated: “We are looking at a way we can have harmonised legislation particularly in the areas that we have common challenges and common issues. We have also come to commiserate with the governor and the people of Oyo State on that needless explosion that took place the last time in Ibadan.
The chairman said the conference was also working on how to have Southwest legislative summit where all the members of houses of assembly in the Southwest will come together to address some of the issues being faced by the region such as insecurity, regional integration, economy, and and other vices.
In attendance were the Chairman, Nigeria Conference of Speakers and Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Adewale Egbedun.
Confidence Okwuchi
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