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muhsin (m)
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By Segun Balogun October 15, 2009 10:58PMT The Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday restated the need for State Police to supplement the inadequacy of the Nigeria Police. "For me, the question of a State Police is no longer if, it is when," he said. "Should a State that has its own House of Assembly, university, and hospitals not have its own police? What are we afraid of?" Mr. Fashola said this on Thursday at the third town hall meeting on security, which is annually held by the Lagos state security trust fund, a public private partnership for improvement of policing in Lagos State. He made the statement against the background that about 33,000 police officers in the Lagos command of the Nigeria Police cannot effectively police about 18 million people. The focus of the meeting, which was titled "sustaining and growing the security model," was to present an overview of the status of security in the state and launch the trust fund website with an e-donation capability which gives everyone the chance to donate any amount through the online/ATM portal. He said the State has procured two helicopters, which are customised for emergency evacuation, aerial security survey, and quick response, from Bell Corporation. "No country has ever been able to get away with reducing spending on law enforcement and security. I call on those who have contributed before to do so again in our collective interest. I particularly call on those yet to contribute, both corporate and private entities whose improved security could be said to have been subsidised by those who have donated, to do so now, in particular to the tank farm owners, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Nigeria Ports Authority, and other agencies engaged in economic activity around Apapa and Atlas Cove area," Said Mr. Fashola . Read the full story |
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MrCrackles (m)
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I like the idea of state police to be honest. . .
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9jaganja
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Not yet. He's right the question is when? But so not now. First you have to spend billions on educating everyone in Lagos on their constitutional rights which makes the police their servant and not their lords. Don't be too naive. State police will eventually be used for political reasons. Federal police alone is causing problem. Is he willing to pay for the state police officers' services from state money? If yes, he must be ready to sign it that they can't meddle with any form of religious or political issues strictly security reasons. These guys are up to something fishy and I don't like them at all.
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madam L
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If the Lagos stste police will be anything like LASTMA then they will harrass us to death. I often feel safer facing the jungle boys than the many uniformed thugs in Lagos. Good idea to have state police but not the type of xters in LASTMA and KAI.
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DrKing (m)
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Nigeria is a federation and NOT a confluence of States. Nigerian State has a structure it follows its operations such as federal system of governance and administration. The question of State Police is totally NOT within the State jurisdiction. Fashola may have good intention about this issue, just the issue of local government development areas, it has be in line with what is obtained in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
State Police, in the hands of these political gladiators and irresponsible rulers, will certainly turn into evil and the Nigerian massess will suffer for it. Above all, the disadvantages [evils] of State Police far outweight its advantages. Other well meaning and enlightened Nigerians should bear their minds on this subject before it gets out of hands to these so-called reps or whatever, who know next to nothing unless to emblezzle our treasuries.
God bless Nigeria with self-less leaders.
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dee law
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Nigeria is a federation and NOT a confluence of States. Nigerian State has a structure it follows its operations such as federal system of governance and administration. The question of State Police is totally NOT within the State jurisdiction. Fashola may have good intention about this issue, just the issue of local government development areas, it has be in line with what is obtained in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
State Police, in the hands of these political gladiators and irresponsible rulers, will certainly turn into evil and the Nigerian massess will suffer for it. Above all, the disadvantages [evils] of State Police far outweight its advantages. Other well meaning and enlightened Nigerians should bear their minds on this subject before it gets out of hands to these so-called reps or whatever, who know next to nothing unless to emblezzle our treasuries.
God bless Nigeria with self-less leaders.
well said :D ;) |
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calcal
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Fashola agitation for state police lack merit, this will be a treat to the lives and properties of Nigerians. This will strengthens the power of the separatists which eventually will lead to civil war. I suggest asking the federal for more police m/w and sharing the cost of additional police.
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toba (m)
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With d size of lagos population, i tink we need state police to cater for communities
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Rooneyboy (m)
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State police my nash ,i think i ve lost more friends in the hands of this happy trigger characters than they ve saved.
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Rooneyboy (m)
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State police or state thieves which one ?
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proproman
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@DrKing, so Fashola is a selfish, embezzling governor now. As far as i'm concerned, Lagos needs as much security as it can get given its population. I don't blame the governor for asking for state police given the ineptitude of the Federal Government provided security agencies. If it were any other Governor, i would have smelt a rat but this guy has shown commitment to the development of Lagos state. Am sure the structure of the state police will be different from that of KAI or LASMA (who, i must admit, are just thugs in uniform).
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wasobia (m)
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Great idea but abuse is inevitable.
It cannot work in Nigeria, we are not yet matured to that level of having state police. FG will not even allow it because of various internal and sectional problem we still have as a country. Its a great idea but no state in Nigeria can manage a state police now (cost, logistics, administration, technology, passion etc) not even in the next 20 years.
We've got a lot of things to tackle. I hope Lagos state can do community/neighborhood watch effectively, that would bring some level of security and comfort to the people.
LASTMA was a great idea at the inception but now, they are like Police corps too because they are assigned to policemen and you know that they cannot do without bribes.
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smile4kenn (m)
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In this present Nigeria, there is no reason or need for a state police.
The Nigerian police should be strengthened and well equipped.
The Nigeria police salary should be paid in time.
The Nigerian police need to stop bribery and corruption
so that they can earn respect from the masses.
State police is not an option,
It is dangerous.
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No2Atheism (m)
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In this present Nigeria, there is no reason or need for a state police.
The Nigerian police should be strengthened and well equipped.
The Nigeria police salary should be paid in time.
The Nigerian police need to stop bribery and corruption
so that they can earn respect from the masses.
State police is not an option,
It is dangerous.
Yes state police is dangerous, nevertheless Central police is worse.State police is actually what is supposed to occur in a federal structure of the country. The North is already practising the federal character wen it suits them, hence it helps for other parts of the country to break free from the North. Yes state politicians would use state police for their corrupt purposes, nevertheless Rome was not built in a day, hence it makes sense to start it first and then remedy it as a work in progress. Nigeria police is more or less a northern police in that, it is toothless and it is controlled from the Center at the federal level. The federal level is itself controlled by the North. 1. Yes there is a need for state police.
2. Centralisation makes it easier to be corrupt, decentralisaiton of the military and police structure in nigeria makes it more difficult to be corrupt, because it means that each state and region would have autonomous security and thus be able to develop at their own pace.
3. Military, Police and Customs are just one of the things used by the North to indirectly dominate the other regions of the country through the domination of a central government.History shows that the North has succeeded in dragging the South down to their level, hence as far as I am concerned, I duly support the existence of the State police. Next we need: - regional military.
- regional customs.
- regional power generation.
- regional almost every other thing. |
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No2Atheism (m)
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Great idea but abuse is inevitable.
It cannot work in Nigeria, we are not yet matured to that level of having state police. FG will not even allow it because of various internal and sectional problem we still have as a country.
Please try and study about history to find out what existed before the 3 Autonomous Regions were turned into the rubbish 36states that we now have on our hands. Yes there is corruption, hence the state police is liable to abuse. Yes there is despotism, hence the state police is liable to abuse. Nevertheless, de-centralisation of government and government aparatus is the only way that the Yorubas can hope to return to the level of developement that they started before the Hausa/Fulanis dragged us down to their level. Thus in the big scheme of things and after weight the benefits against the disadvantages, I COMPLETELY SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE OF STATE POLICE. |
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M16
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Wow. imagine if people like Fayose, Akala and the Uba brothers had armed personnel subservient to them
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Ben-10
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Polica remains Police. State or National!  |
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Ovamboland (m)
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Wow. imagine if people like Fayose, Akala and the Uba brothers had armed personnel subservient to them
Chris Uba put Federal police to efficient and brutal use and was able to abduct a sitting governor. It is wonderful the way otherwise enligthened posters latch on to the argument of those people who want to keep us as a unitary state while pulling a wool over our eyes that we are practicing federalism. All they want is control, more control and even more control. Otherwise why would the central party want to control all the states disregarding what the people actually want. In federal Nigeria, no state is allowed to legislate on railway within its borders, neither can they make laws to accelerate the development of natural resources in their state. They are not allowed to generate and distribute power according their needs which they should know better. Most people condemning state police have never seen it in operation for them to be experts in all the flaws inherent. They have even surrenered their thinking cap to situations not even thinking of solutions to those envisged problems |
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KnowAll (m)
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Fashola being the custodian of peace and also the Chief Security officer of Lagos State, realised how vulnerable Lagos was after the attack at Atlas Cove, with a state Police equipped with all the latest technology with regards to policing such as Helicopters, CCTV Cameras and laser targeting rifles with night vision capabilities, such boy’s scout operation by mend would have been repelled and the culprits dealt with decisively.
A State like Lagos that is blessed with rising internally generated revenue will be able to set up a modern police force that will be capable of detecting and apprehending the Cowards that blew up Atlas Cove without much ado.
Already civilian cameras have being installed in strategic areas in the city, in other to help in the prevention of crime and also to assist the federal police in her duty.
To think the Nigeria Navy was less than a km away from where this atrocity was carried out is not only incomprehensible but alarming, the thought that the strike went on for 3 hours without any sight of any authority is a shame and an indictment on our law enforcement agencies.
It is even more disheartening to know that Lagos being the most militarised City in Nigeria could suffer such a blow, the case for a State Police like never before should be seen as a necessity rather than a luxury in the light of gross negligence and dereliction of duty by the security apparatus of Nigeria, the security apparatus being the Army, Navy, Air force and Federal Police.
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MUZBO (m)
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I like Fash's idea but like someone said Nigerians have to be educated on their rights and the duties of the police first. Necessary things should be enforced first.
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MUZBO (m)
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I like Fash's idea but like someone said Nigerians have to be educated on their rights and the duties of the police first. Necessary things should be enforced first.
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Hercules75 (m)
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Really there's nothing with state police, but will they not be accountable to the State Governor cos ELECTION is on the way. And Lag of all state, wat criteria is our SAN going to employ? The recruitment, is it the retired tugs used by SAN's elder bro (SENATOR)?
Otherwise no lele!
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Nezan (m)
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State Police=Political Thugs  |
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emyah (m)
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The question is no longer rhetorical. We are not yet living in a total police state, but it is fast approaching. The seeds of future tyranny have been sown, and many of our basic protections against government have been undermined. The atmosphere has permitted ,The Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, to create whole new departments and agencies that purport to make us safer – always at the expense of our liberty. But security and liberty go hand-in-hand. like too many Nigeria, don’t understand that a society with no constraints on its government cannot be secure. History proves that societies crumble when their governments become more powerful than the people and private institutions.
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emyah (m)
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After all, proponents argue, the government is doing all this to catch the bad guys. If you don’t have anything to hide, they ask, what are you so afraid of? The answer is that I’m afraid of losing the last vestiges of privacy that a free society should hold dear. I’m afraid of creating a society where the burden is on citizens to prove their innocence, rather than on government to prove wrongdoing. Most of all, I’m afraid of living in a society where a subservient populace surrenders its liberties to an all-powerful government.
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emyah (m)
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As we've seen in a previous essay the parallels between Nazi Germany and the Bush and Obama administrations are striking. Obama's creeping police state is being ushered in through exactly the same means that Hitler used to overpower the German people. Along with the attacks of his brutal Gestapo thugs, Hitler achieved ultimate success when he got the people to spy and inform on one another.
So the Bush junta gave the new Neighborhood Watch Association and their new allies from the old AmeriCorp, $3.8 billion in government funds to create what Bill Berkowitz has termed AmeriSnitch.
The cabal's Thought Police was inaugurated by Ashcroft and Ed McMahon, with Ed portraying himself as a jolly buffoon.
But this is the farthest thing from a comedy. The American Civil Liberties Union quite correctly sees this new Neighborhood Watch initiative as part of an "ongoing pattern of erosion of basic civil liberties in America in the name of unproven security measures."
"By asking neighborhood groups to report on people who are 'unfamiliar' or who act in ways that are 'suspicious' or 'not normal,' our government is unconstructively fear-mongering, and fueling the already rampant ethnic and religious scapegoating," says ACLU President Nadine Strossen.
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emyah (m)
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"It's the height of paranoid insanity to claim we're moving toward a police state," the blissfully ignorant proclaim. "If there's a police state," they sneer, "where's the goose-stepping Gestapo in our streets?" You can see them if you look beyond the old manifestations of tyranny to the new forms. And staring you in the face are the civilian concentration camps that have already been set up.
Fortunately, we are only in the first stages of this new hellish police state and we can stop it in its tracks if Lagos state act Now.
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emyah (m)
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This isn't a matter of if we decide to stop this police state in its infancy; either stop it now or it will inevitably germinate into a full-blown monster. Now that the cabal behind Babatunde Fashola, have stolen the election--and put in place a system to steal all future elections--Lagos State must do everything it can to struggle against the Babatunde Fashola, II police state. Certainly, Lagos State must have the courage to point out its reality and resist it in whatever way possible.
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emyah (m)
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We know that the beginning stages of a police state exist in the Lagos State when:
A leader is brought into power through illegal means
A national catastrophe is used as the pretext to begin a war and institute extraordinary restrictions on constitutional liberties
Citizen dissent is held to be treasonous
The constitutional separation of powers is abrogated by a power-mad executive branch which controls or intimidates the other two branches of government
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erico2k2 (m)
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Well I think the Nigerian Police force should be dicentralized, ie,Every state should have its own Police force,just like we have in the Uk and America and then we should have the Federal Police alongside, but the indigenous job of security should be tackled by the state Police and national threath should be tackled by the Feds,
There must be recruitment of more police and age/standards should be set,not all them big pot belly men who cant jog for 5 mins.
Good Idea,wrong implementation/Circumstance.
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Spyker
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I have always advocated for state police. Whether you like it or not, they will be better off than the federal ones.
Even the USA operates that way, same for many countries in Europe. It is better we try it than hoping it will be worse. After all, no risk no gain
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bawomolo (m)
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I guess its about time we broke down police departments to the state level or heck even LG level.
the current structure is filled with too much red tape and puppets
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