From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Former Minister of Health during the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said it is time for Nigeria to decentralise the police structure so as to accommodate state police.
Chukwu, who is a member of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Restructuring Committee, stated this in a television programme monitored in Enugu.
He argued that it was not proper to think that the governors would abuse the state police, stressing that everything in life has two sides, but what matters is whether the positive implications outweigh the negative aspects.
He also urged the Federal Government not to ignore the deafening calls for restructuring as it would give more powers to the federating units.
“There is a lot of confusion now but the truth is that generally, if we are being honest, we all should look at the system we are running. That brings Ohanaeze as an interested party. We don’t need to wait. Why don’t we also have a committee because it is something we can look at plenary and submit to the appropriate authorities.
“The greatest problem in Nigeria, the way it is, is security. Nobody is safe. So, what do we need to change to improve security? I thought that sometime, the Federal Government was interested in state policing. We should not be afraid of it. Security needs a lot of local intelligence and only the people themselves can police their area.
“So, if you talk about abuse, anything can be abused. One of the medications that have been so thoroughly abused is tramadol. Would I now say because tramadol has been abused, we should no longer use it in the hospital?
“Even in the communication sector, the same ICT we use is the same thing criminals use. Everything is just a two-sided coin. Everything in life has two sides. What you will ask yourself at that particular time is which one is important. If the useful aspects are more useful, you then begin to think of how to mitigate the effects of the adverse effect,” Chukwu stated.