Governors’ memoranda for state police, a waste of time – Makinde

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State said on Monday that the submission of memoranda by state governors for state police was nothing short of a futile exercise.

In an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Makinde criticised the recent submission of reports by 16 governors to the National Economic Council, advocating for the establishment of state police.

Sixteen state governors submitted reports last week expressing their support for establishing state police to the National Economic Council.

They also recommended changes to the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.

While the proponents argue that state police would alleviate the nation’s security challenges, Makinde, along with 20 other governors, remains unconvinced.

He dismissed the approach, asserting that tackling the issue of state police should squarely rest with the National Assembly, not the NEC or the National Security Adviser.

However, 20 other governors had yet to forward their reports to enable the NEC to act on them.

Reacting, Makinde, who clarified that he did not submit any memoranda on state policing, deemed the submission a futile endeavour.

“I did not submit any memorandum to the state police. But my position is very clear about state police. I see it, quite frankly, as a waste of our time.

“I did not submit, not because of arrogance but because I don’t think the approach will quickly get us to where we want to go. You are asking the states to submit memoranda on how state police will work,” he stated.

Makinde emphasised that the state police issue should be handled by the National Assembly, given its constitutional nature, before being adopted by state Houses of Assembly.

“The National Assembly knows what to do. They have people who can quickly do this work. It is not the National Security Adviser or the National Economic Council that will deal with the issue of state police.

“It is a constitutional thing and should go to the National Assembly. Then, at the state level, we get our state Houses of Assembly to pass this law,” the governor added.