With over 200 bills passed into law, 10th Senate has done well – Sen Plang

• I’ve no doubt state police will address insecurity 

By Adesuwa Tsan

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, Diket Plang, who represents the people of Plateau Central in the Red Chamber, has weighed in on the debate over the establishment of the state police.

He speaks on the scorecard of the National Assembly in three years, why he believes state police reflects the will of Nigerians, concerns over possible abuse by governors, funding, oversight and the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, among other issues.

The 10th Senate has just marked its third anniversary. Looking back, how would you assess its performance?

At the moment, the Senate has had over 1,000 bills. About 900 have passed either second or third reading, and we have over 200 bills that have been signed into law.

So, for me, there is a lot of achievement in terms of making laws. We have had very important motions with beautiful resolutions and sufficient oversight functions as far as the first three years of the Senate are concerned.

Even from the process of budget defence, ministries, departments and agencies bring their proposals, and you go back to find out what has been achieved and what has not been achieved.

So far, I certainly believe that the three years of this government have been an activity period for the Executive and the Legislature. I think there have been a lot of achievements.

The National Assembly recently passed the State Police Bill. Why do you consider it such an important reform?

The courage that Mr. President has, his firmness to policies and his hopefulness in the future of this country deserve commendation. This government has taken very bold policies and embarked on very difficult projects.

The first is the removal of fuel subsidy. It takes a leader who is strong in will to remove fuel subsidy. I am very sure it was the wish of previous leaders, but President Bola Tinubu, immediately after taking the oath of office, declared that fuel subsidy was gone.

It was a very tough decision, but government revenue has increased in no small measure. States are paying salaries as and when due, they are undertaking projects, indebtedness has reduced and government has become more active. As a result, the economy has also improved.

Secondly, the issue of state police has gone beyond politics. Every Nigerian seems to appreciate it and believes that, with the security situation we find ourselves in, state police may help reduce the level of criminality in this country.

The agitation for state police did not start with this administration. It has been there for years. Again, it took another courageous leader to take the risk of establishing state police.

Because it is the will of the people, it became very easy for legislators to work on the bill positively. During consideration in the Senate, only one senator opposed it. Apart from those who were absent, everyone else supported it. That tells you it is the people’s will.

That is why I say Nigerians will remember this administration for taking bold and difficult decisions that other leaders were reluctant to take.

What stage is the State Police Bill currently at?

The State Police Bill has undergone first, second and third reading in both chambers of the National Assembly.

Because it involves constitutional amendment, public hearings were held across the regions of the country, and state police was one of the issues considered.

Having passed the third reading, what is left is the constitutional amendment that will move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.

After that, it has to go to the 36 State Houses of Assembly. At least two-thirds of the states, that is not less than 24 states, must approve it.

Because this is the will of the people, I do not think governors, irrespective of political party, will oppose it.

Once the required approvals are secured, it will come back to the National Assembly and then be transmitted to Mr. President for assent.

How exactly will the proposed state police structure operate?

Nigeria will have the Federal Police and State Police. The Federal Police will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, while the State Police will be headed by Commissioners of Police.

There will also be a National Police Council and a National Police Service Commission responsible for recruitment, training and discipline.

At the state level, there will be State Police Councils and State Police Service Commissions empowered to recruit personnel.

The national institutions will set minimum standards for recruitment and qualifications, while there will also be oversight from the National Police Council.

Since policing will now be on the Concurrent Legislative List, states will make laws for the administration of their police services in line with the Constitution. However, all their activities must remain consistent with the Constitution establishing both the Federal Police and the State Police.

The governors will also be members of the National Police Council, together with representatives from the states. So whatever activities are taking place at the National Police Council, the states will have a contribution.

There will also be a clear jurisdiction of functions. The National Police Council will not interfere in the operations of the State Police Councils, while the State Police Councils will operate within their respective states.

Do you believe state police will address Nigeria’s security challenges?

The locals know the language of their locality. They know the culture and the terrain where they are policing.

Information gathering and rapid response to criminality can be much better than when an officer posted from another part of the country does not understand the language or the environment.

A police officer may be sitting among criminals discussing their plans in the local language without understanding what they are saying. But when you have local officers, intelligence gathering becomes easier. They know the bushes, the roads and the terrain much better than strangers. It becomes easier to identify and deal with criminals.

State police will also improve the police-to-population ratio. At the moment, Nigeria has roughly one police officer to about 700 citizens, whereas the standard is about one officer to 400 people. Creating state police across the 36 states means more recruitment, improved security coverage and employment opportunities for many young Nigerians.

I believe President Bola Tinubu will be remembered as the man who came and was able to tackle some of the most difficult policies that other leaders were afraid to undertake.

Certainly, every new law will have grey areas at the beginning, but laws are dynamic. We continue to improve them as time goes on.

What do you say of the fear being expressed in some quarters that governors may abuse the state police?

No governor will employ people from his community and ask them to go against their own people. Nigeria is made up of many ethnic groups, yet we have managed the Nigeria Police Force over the years. No single person has been able to use it solely for tribal advantage.

The same thing will happen with state police. Besides, there are oversight mechanisms. The National Assembly, the State Houses of Assembly and the National Police Council will all exercise oversight.

Funding will also come from both the Federal Government and the states, and there will be accountability in appropriation and execution. These checks will address most of the concerns.

Funding and training remain major concerns. How can standards be maintained across all states?

There will be minimum requirements for the establishment of state police. Those requirements will include minimum educational qualifications, physical fitness, character requirements and salary standards. Nobody will recruit unqualified people or underpay officers.

It will operate just like the civil service, where states recruit, promote and take care of the welfare of their workers. Our constitution is very clear that the responsibility of government is the welfare and security of its citizens.

State police is another avenue through which government will fulfil that constitutional responsibility.

The Senate recently moved that xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa should be tackled diplomatically. What do you think Nigeria should do?

It is unfortunate. Africa has always related as brothers, but today we are witnessing attacks against fellow Africans. It is painful that Nigerians are being attacked, chased away, killed and their property destroyed.

I believe there should be immediate engagement between the Nigerian and South African governments. Yes, there may be some Nigerians who have violated the law, but innocent people should not suffer because of the actions of a few.

Rather than retaliation, both governments should immediately meet and resolve these issues as brothers.

Even foreigners who are legally resident in another country should conduct themselves responsibly, but disputes should always be resolved through dialogue rather than violence.