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By Merit Ibe, [email protected]
As economic austerity bites harder leading to civil strife and general insecurity in the country, loud clamour for state police has reached a crescendo in recent months.
While the federal government tinkers with the idea of establishing one, a development economist, Dr Nathan Owhor, has told the government not to grow cold or dump the project as it is very important.
In an interview with Daily Sun, Owhor said a secured environment will guarantee food production which has the capacity to drive down prices, emphasising that the relationship between regional police, security and increased food production in the economy is obviously cordial.
Excerpts
State police and security
Make no mistake, most Nigerians are on edge concerning security challenges and the conditions that could trigger self-help are fast developing. But the Government appears to have intervened when it mattered most with the directive for the states to up-scale the activities and mandate of the Forest Rangers and the idea of a State Police.
This is another bold step by the President because a secured environment will guarantee food production which has the capacity to drive down prices.
While discussions on how to tackle the security concerns, which are no doubt urgent are going on, it is important to note that the issue of a State Police has been severally canvassed and opinions have varied on its implications for security and food production in the domestic economy. From all the views and comments, what appears to be the low point from all the discussions has remained the apparent fear of abuse by the state chief executives. Otherwise, most Nigerians clearly support the idea of a state police especially in a Federation like ours.
Fear of abuse
But this fear of abuse, I am constrained to observe is grossly misplaced as even the current police structure is constantly abused by some political and socio-economic elites. In fact, there are several instances where some persons, have used the Police as a tool of oppression. Most citizens have actually been brutalized and assaulted by those who can illegally procure the services of some irresponsible Policemen. There is therefore the urgent need to reform and refocus the Nigerian Police for better service delivery. Nobody should assault our sensibilities and raise the issue of abuse as the reason to discredit the urgent need to reform the Nigerian Police. There is the urgent need to make the Police more responsive and responsible as the face of internal security in a democratic society.
State or regional police framework
On the heels of the current initiative however, I am constrained to urge the Federal Government, to shift the conversation from state police to a regional police framework. The current six geo-political zones could best be described as regions in this circumstance. So, a six regional police structure will be consistent with the six geo-political zones. This foundation is necessary to put this discussion in contest and to justify the new conversation which will apparently help in reforming the Nigerian Police. This new conversation has the capacity to reduce and possibly eliminate the fear of abuse as no one single state chief executive can become so powerful and dominant in the region.
Principally, the states in each region will contribute men and materials to the regional police with a regional police council as the highest decision-making body. Again, no one state chief executive will have unbearable influence or control over the regional police because the command structure will be flat and the response time to any issue of abuse is collective and short. More so, the mechanisms for checks and balances are divested such that influence and undue patronage will not fester and create a cult of untouchables. The current men and women in service who will be redeployed to their regions will be retrained and assessed and those with evidence of bad conduct eased out. There will be easy monitoring and evaluation such that only competence is rewarded and the rest uniformed men and women are put on their toes regularly.
Regional insecurity challenge
On the issue of security, it is evident that the current security challenge in Nigeria is regional. Each region is dealing with a unique type of criminal gang. Since the police is the face of internal security in any democratic society, it is important that a regional approach to the policing system is evolved. For once, the approach will present a sense of regional commitment to dealing with a regional security challenge. This sense of regional identity has a way of stimulating the desired inner strength, motivation to tackling a common regional problem. The current situation where strangers are largely deployed to deal with internal regional criminal elements amounts to putting a square peg in a round hole. What you find most times are therefore officers and men whose approach to the fight is commercial.
The more the conflict is prolonged, the more the allowances and other illicit criminal gains which have become major attractions. The restoration of peace which ought to be the prime source of motivation has taken flight and the abuse of the innocent locals and lawlessness have become common place features in all theatres of regional conflict in the country.
Poverty, hunger, unemployment
Closely associated with the security challenge is the absence of peace and development with its attendant poverty, hunger and unemployment. To avert this apparent and protracted national shame, the need for a regional police has become apparent. The restoration of peace through the regional police structure will speedily reduce poverty and hunger as the rural folks will return to their farm lands. Nigerians are not beggars and have no business staying in camps and waiting to be fed. The restoration of peace will also stimulate economic activities with several layers of opportunities for national development and cohesion.
Impact on textile industry
The regional police for example will have a direct impact on the textile industry, a key sector for national development. With a deliberate policy for all uniformed agencies to buy their garment materials and accessories locally, the police component alone will have six different colours of uniforms across the six regional formations. An average of three sets of uniform per personnel in a year with accessories will revive at least five textile industries. These textile industries will create several employment opportunities and the value chain has the capacity to create several other layers of employment and boost the domestic economy.
Advice
The renewed hope agenda of the present administration should therefore, find urgent expression around a regional police reform framework. With the regional structure, the fear of abuse which has become a recurrent decimal with the state police argument will be greatly allayed. The relationship between regional police, security and increased food production in the economy is obviously cordial. The bureaucracy will deliberately be flat for effective control and supervision. The overall outcome will be regional identity and ownership, loyalty and regional sentiment. The result this kind of regional commitment and mentality will engender will give the police in Nigeria a new image.
