NEC Threatens to Impose Decisions on Kwara, other States Over Delays in State Police Reports
The National Economic Council (NEC) has threatened to impose its decision on states that have yet to submit their reports on the establishment of state police.
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, President Bola Tinubu endorsed the recommendation of state governors to establish state police as a measure to address rising insecurity across Nigeria. Following this, states were directed to submit their reports to the council for further deliberation and action.
However, during a press briefing after the council meeting on Wednesday, presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the acting Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal, revealed that four states have not yet submitted their reports. These states are Kwara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Adamawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Lawal announced that the NEC has given these states a deadline of Monday, September 9, to submit their reports or face the consequences of being bound by any decision made by the council.
“An update on the establishment of state police was considered due to the security challenges we face across the nation in the Northeast, North Central, Southwest, Southeast, and South-South regions, so we can have robust security in our nation,” Lawal explained. “Today, all the states were supposed to submit their reports for consideration by the NEC. Incidentally, four states couldn’t submit their reports.”
Lawal emphasized that if these states fail to meet the deadline, “whatever decision the NEC takes on the establishment of state police will be binding on those states that refused to make submissions.”
In addition to the state police discussion, Governor Abdul Sule of Nasarawa State announced the reconstitution of the flood committee in response to recent flood disasters in several states. The committee, which includes governors from Kogi, Oyo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Bayelsa, and Jigawa states, along with officials from several federal agencies, was established to ensure a structured response to the floods, avoiding ad-hoc measures.
Sule stated that the council has set a Monday deadline for affected states to submit detailed reports on the damages they have suffered.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State further noted that the NEC extensively discussed the flood situation in the country and acknowledged the federal government’s support, including the release of N3 billion to provide palliatives for flood victims.
Mohammed highlighted the devastating impact of the floods, particularly in the Northeast, where a major route between Kano and Maiduguri has been severed, severely affecting households, schools, bridges, and other means of livelihood.
“Lives were lost, and a lot of properties were also destroyed,” he added. “That has provided a big challenge to us as a government and as a people in our states because we need to provide more food security.”
He called for increased collaboration between all tiers of government to ensure food security, especially given that farmlands have been submerged and the expected bumper harvest may be compromised. He added that the federal and subnational ministries of agriculture must work together to implement comprehensive measures.
The NEC has asked the affected states to provide an inventory of the destruction before Monday, while also establishing a governance structure to address the flood’s impact on communities.
