The Kaduna State House of Assembly has endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment to establish a state police, describing it as a measure to strengthen community security and address insecurity.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Education and member representing Zaria City Constituency, Mahmud Ismaila, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the House proceedings in Kaduna.
Ismaila said the House endorsed proposed alterations to 15 sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for state policing and rename the Police Service Commission as the Federal Police Service Commission.
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He said state police would enable state governments to recruit, train, fund and manage personnel according to local security needs, thereby improving responses to banditry and kidnapping and creating employment opportunities for youths.
The lawmaker added that the House had directed its Clerk to transmit the resolution to the National Assembly.
On education, the Spokesman of the Assembly and member representing Jaba Constituency, Henry Marah, said the House was considering an amendment to the Kaduna State Library Board Law to transform public libraries across the state’s 23 local government areas into e-libraries and ICT centres.
He explained that the proposed centres would provide free internet access and enable students to register for and sit examinations, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, without travelling long distances.
Marah also disclosed that a bill seeking to establish the Kaduna State Local Government Service Commission had been stepped down for further consideration to clarify certain provisions and address concerns about possible duplication of responsibilities, given the existence of a Local Government Service Board.
He called for the recruitment of new personnel to replace retired local government workers and address staffing shortages.
