There have been massive support for the establishment of state police recently.
Those who have been voicing support for the establishment seem to be concentrated on just one point, the fact that they consider crime and policing a local phenomenon.
They are very correct. However, they seem to have overlooked the evils that would definitely come with the establishment of a state security apparatus that will be wholly in control of state Governors who have been given too much powers already through the Constitution.
Power corrupts and absolute powers corrupt absolutely.
Before we all join the bandwagon asking for the establishment of state police, let us examine similar powers given to the state Governors and how they have been abusing them.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended empowers the Governors to set up State Electoral Commissions, SIECs which will see to the conduct of Local Government Elections.
What have become of the SIECs today?
Are Nigerians in the overwhelming majority not calling for the scrapping of the States Electoral Commissions through the amendment of the constitution and obviously, in reaction to how the Governors have been abusing the powers conferred on them in that regard?
In Oyo state where I come from, a kangaroo Local Government Election just confirmed that the PDP, the party in power was victorious by purportedly clearing all the Chairmanship and Councillorship seats.
This is in a state where the opposition, the APC have three sitting Senators, nine out of the fourteen House of Representatives members and have just won a rerun election in one of the Local Governments, Saki West to be precise.
The supposed election was so shabbily conducted to the extent that the Electoral umpire didn’t deploy staffs and electoral materials in about 80 percent of the polling booths in the state and the press reported the anomalies.
Yet, as we speak, the Chairman of the Electoral umpire have called the election in favour of the PDP even in those polling booths where election never held.
Such is the level of abuse that state Governors subject establishments to.
Already, most of this Governors have in their control the Magistrates in their respective domains, they are in control of the Local Government funds through the joint Allocations Account and most of them maintain an army of miscreants with which they terrorize the opposition.
In Oyo state, the PMS, a union of Road Transport Workers have been formed to an army of occupation deployable at the whims and caprices of the Governor and this is not limited to Oyo state.
I have read about how state police was put to use during the Regional Governments.
I think those who draw this analogies have overlooked the fact that the letters of the Constitution then and now are different.
The individuals involved are world apart in their beliefs, ideologies and moral standards.
How will you compare an Awolowo to the caliber of men we have in our Government Houses today?
Let us take for example the incident involving former Governor Yahaya Bello of recent.
Assuming the present Governor of Kogi state, who was alleged to have assisted his predecessor to escape arrest was having the compliments of state police?
God knows the incident would most likely have resulted in a bloodbath.
We must not lose sight of the fact that this Governors enjoy immunity from prosecution.
Most of them have been setting up localized Anti corruption Agencies.
All that is remaining for the Governors to have total dominance over political oppositions is a biased and tamed local police.
We must not overlook this very salient issues before joining the bandwagon asking for more powers for already powerful state Governors.
State Police will serve the individual Governors more than they will serve the people just like the State Independent Electoral Commissions.
SOLA ABEGUNDE
