Leader of the Senate Opeyemi Bamidele has said the proposed state police system can only function effectively if its funding is guaranteed as a constitutional first-line charge, warning that failure to secure its financial independence could leave it vulnerable to manipulation by governors, business interests, criminal networks, and powerful cabals.
Bamidele, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made the position known in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs while responding to concerns raised by stakeholders over the ongoing constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police.
According to him, the National Assembly has taken note of the fears expressed by Nigerians and is working on safeguards that will prevent the abuse of state police services.
He acknowledged that many of the concerns were justified, noting that they were largely influenced by the experience of the First Republic, when the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions empowered regional governments to establish police forces.
To prevent a recurrence, Bamidele said the National Assembly was developing a framework that would guarantee institutional independence, personnel discipline, and fiscal autonomy for state police services.
He disclosed that lawmakers were proposing that the funding of state police be made a first-line charge in the Constitution, similar to the financial arrangement for the judiciary.
Explaining the proposal, Bamidele said: “The Commissioner of Police and State Police Service Commission must have a guaranteed source of funds provided for in the 1999 Constitution in a way that the police chief will not be subject to the whims and caprices of a state governor.”
He added that the constitutional amendment would ensure governors could not withhold funding from state police services simply because they disagreed with their operations.
“If a state police service is not responding well to the directives of a governor, he may choose not to fund it. We must prevent such a situation,” he said.
According to him, the National Assembly is considering making a specified percentage of every state’s annual budget constitutionally dedicated to the operations of state police services, with clear provisions on how such funds would be accessed.
Bamidele further assured Nigerians that the proposed state police system would be accountable to the people and that all legitimate concerns raised during consultations would be addressed before the amendment is concluded.
He stressed that adequate funding remained central to the success of the initiative, warning that creating state police without financial autonomy would undermine its effectiveness.
The Senate Leader explained that the constitutional review seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby allowing both the federal government and state governments to operate police services.
He also cautioned that political interference was not the only threat to state police.
“Business class can also abuse it. Some other organisations, even criminals or cabals, can abuse state police service because it is a question of ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune.’
“If a state police service is not well funded by any means, we have a situation where it may as well be a highway to nowhere. That is one thing all of us must prevent,” Bamidele said.
(The Sun)
