ABUJA—Fear of losing their dominance of the Nigeria Police Force has been cited as the major reason behind the sudden change of mind by northern governors over the introduction of state police.

It will be recalled that at the meeting of the governors of the 36 states in Abuja last month, all the governors opted for state police as a panacea for ending rising insecurity in the country.

However, the 19 northern governors met a few days after and kicked against the idea of state police, saying that they were ready to work with the existing police force.

A source close to one of the governors told Vanguard that the northern governors were afraid that their dwindling financial position would not permit the funding of state police like their Southern counterparts, who they claim had more funds than them.

The source, which was in attendance at last week’s meeting of the Governors’ Forum in Abuja, said: “The governors do not want to plunge themselves into what they cannot adequately sustain and they do not also want to lose what they consider as their leading position in the Nigeria Police Force.

“During last Tuesday’s meeting they made their position very clear that they would continue to work with the NPF to contain insecurity in their respective domains.”

It was gathered that the northern governors had opted to present a common position to the federal government on how best to tackle insecurity in the country.

“They believe that the best way to ensure adequate security in all the states is for the federal government to allow commissioners of police to be controlled by the respective governors so that they can take orders from the state executives. But the governors of the Southern states are reported to have insisted that they would press ahead with state police, hoping to embark on serious campaign to convince some of their northern counterparts to change their minds before their next meeting. It was learnt that while most of the governors would not support the growing agitation for more states, they were however in support of the rotation of governorship posts among the people of the 109 senatorial districts in the country to give a sense of belonging to all Nigerians.

They reasoned that if rotational governorship was introduced, it would eliminate the domination of most states by certain ethnic groups to the detriment of the weaker ones. The source said that Benue and Kogi states were used as examples of states were the minority groups could never rule the states without a rotational arrangement for the political offices in those states.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/why-northern-govs-oppose-state-police/

NO STATE IN NIGERIA CAN DEVELOP TODAY BACAUSE ALL NIGERIA GOVERNORS ARE OLIVER TWIST WAITING FOR SOCIAL WELFARE MONEY FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MONTHLY. HAVE YOU HAD OF GROW UP FROM YOUR LOW AND PRIMITIVE THINKING.THE IDEA IS TO BUILD A BETTER SOCIETY AND SECONDLY, THE POLICE BUDGET WILL BE SHARE AMONG THE STATE AND ALSO NIGERIA HAVE A SECURITY VOTE IN PLACE WHICH IS FOR STATE POLICING...TAKE YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR ASS AND REASON WITH IT FOR ONCE. EUROPEANS AND THE AMERICANS, THEY BUILD DISTROY AND BUILD AGAIN UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGTH, SO WHAT STOP BLACK NATION FROM MAKING USE OF THEIR HEAD...EVERYTHING IN LIFE, THERE MUST BE HOLD UP BUT HOW WE DEAL WITH IT AS PEOPLE MATTERS ALOT...NIGERIA MUST CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD NOT BACKWARD.

the north gets major share of oil revenues from the Nigerdelta as IBB and Abacha allotted undue large number of states to the north at the expense of some groups in the south. If the north gets such huge amount from federal allocations, why can't it fund state police?Methinks, the real cause of north's fear is the possibility that some southern states may use state police to secede from Nigeria. But that fear is no longer tenable.
Overall, what we may gain from state police must by far outweigh what we may lose if governors misuse state police.

North already has state police, and they are the once enforcing sharia laws in the north.the other day HISBAH were arresting people not observing the fast in kano.my question is this why didnt they use the method they used in identifying those who didnt fast to fish out the boko haram elements in kano?

plateau state are in support of state police...i wonder why other christian Norths are doing....