Senate Leader assures NASS will consider state police
The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, has praised Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s call for the creation of state police as an antidote to the rising security challenges in the country, saying that the National Assembly would consider it.
Speaking to State House correspondents after observing the Juma’at prayers at the State House Abuja Mosque on Friday, he applauded the security summit organized by the legislature as an example of collaboration, cooperation and partnership between the executive and the legislature.
While declaring the summit open on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo had advocated for State Police and community policing, arguing that the Federal Government could not realistically provide security for Nigerians from the centre.
Asked if the legislature would back the Vice President’s call, the Senate Leader said: “Well, I’m not a legislature as such because I am only one member of the legislature.
“But as a committee member of the Ad-hoc Committee on Security and the Review of Security Infrastructure in Nigeria, I believe that the suggestion by the Vice President that we should go the way of state Police and even consider community policing, is very good suggestion and we are going to take it on board in the National Assembly.”
He opined that the synergy between the executive and the legislature will solve the security problems in the country.
Lawan added: “Of course. That is what we have been able to achieve with this. The Summit was declared open by the Vice President on behalf of Mr. President and that was a typical example of collaboration, cooperation and partnership between the executive and the legislature. And we are so happy that this partnership is working.
“We have not concluded because the summit will continue on Monday and that will be the end of this particular summit and then the Senate will pass resolutions which the executive will definitely consider and implement by the grace of God.”
He also spoke on the possibility of successfully tacking the security challenges facing the country, saying that he was optimistic that it could be done.
The lawmaker stated: “Of course. We should be thinking in a very positive manner that we should be able to solve our problems. If we cannot solve the problems, then why did we even venture into it?
“I’m an optimistic person and I believe that coming together, the executive and the legislature, we can solve any problem in Nigeria if we have the support of Nigerians. “
“It is not only those of us in government that are supposed to do everything to solve these kinds of challenges. But we need the continuous, and relentless support of citizens to ensure that we are able to provide the kind of solutions we need.”
Lawan backed the appointment of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to lead the effort to reconcile warring interests in the All Progressive Congress (APC), saying: “Fantastic! In fact that that committee should have been constituted long time ago because APC is plagued by some internal issues and I believe that these are issues that are surmountable.
“The Tinubu committee will definitely add value into reconciling the warring sides so to speak.
“Time is against us. We have to really kickstart these process of reconciliation immediately and I believe that as a family, we should be able to come out very much more united than we were before.”
