Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has reiterated his call for the establishment of state police, saying it has become imperative to surmount the security challenges in different parts of the country.
The governor, who maintained that the refusal of the federal government to approve south-west governors’ demand to establish state police a few years ago led to the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun, said it was important for the government to revisit the matter.
Makinde stated this when he received the Conference of Speakers of State Legislators, South-West chapter led by its chairman and speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye.
The speakers visited the governor in his office in Ibadan, where he appreciated them for their condolences and words of support over the January 16, 2024, explosion in Bodija, Ibadan.
The governor said there was a need for collaboration between the executive arm of government and the legislators to bring development to the people.
Makinde said, “I want to observe that you need to all come together irrespective of the political party that brought you into office. This is a demonstration that the electioneering period is over and you need to have everybody pulling together to govern and deliver dividends of democracy to our people.”
Dwelling on the security challenges in the country, Makinde maintained that the establishment of state police was an idea whose time had come and that the fears in some quarters that states would not be able to maintain state police are unfounded.
He cited the example of Oyo State where the payment of salaries and pensions had never been an issue despite the economic challenges in the country.
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