The Nigerian Governors Forum on Wednesday night set up a six-man committee to look into the various funding options for the Nigeria Police as well as consider the possibility of state police.
The decision was taken after a presentation made to members by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, at the forum’s meeting held behind closed doors at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.
Yari, who is the Zamfara State Governor, said Idris listed the various challenges facing the Nigeria Police, especially funding.
He said the committee was also saddled with the responsibility of interfacing with the National Assembly’s Committees on Police on a Trust Fund Bill pending before the federal lawmakers.
The governor said the issue would thereafter be taken to the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, for further
Yari said, “We discussed and we received presentation from the Inspector-General of Police. He made a presentation to us seeking our support to introduce media outfits, radio and television, for the force and as well for the Police to embrace technology from the current manual ways of doing things.
“The Inspector-General of Police dominated the whole day of our discussion today; understanding what the issues concerning the Police.
“In some countries, the ratio of police to the population is 1:10, but in Nigeria, we have 1:400.
“So, they are having so many difficulties in terms of funding which we agreed that with the way things are going through the budgeting process, we cannot be able to fund police.
“So, the Inspector-General of Police made us to know that there is a Trust Fund Bill which is before the National Assembly and he asked for our support and that of the members of the National Assembly especially, the House of Representatives.
“On our own part, we have put a committee in place. It consists of the governors of Kwara, Imo, Delta, Ekiti, Bauchi and Sokoto States. The committee is to interface with the Committee on Police and take the matter before the Acting President for further action. It is important for our nation.
“Beside this, there is the issue of state police which is being discussed and we are coming up with so many options which we are expecting the committee will consider safe way of policing in Nigeria.” (The Punch)