Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,mti,
Kent-Alumni the UK’s European University
The National Economic Advisory Council of Nigeria under the able leadership of Vice President Senator Kassim Shettima, the 36 States Governors and other economic experts has resolved to create State’s Police in this (only) the 25 years’ fragile of Democratic System in Nigeria.
It’s an undeniable fact that there exists security challenges in Nigeria like in many economic emerging Nations of the Global Southern parts of the World. And again that, without tackling the security challenges, the issue of challenging the economic precarity in the country Nigeria will be a mirage.
The United Kingdom and United States of American Democracies, for example (Advanced Democracies) have been in existence since the 17th Century without any military interventions. On the other hand, Nigeria’s democracy is only 25 years without military interventions. Meaning that Nigeria’s democracy is still in an infancy stage compared to the advanced Liberal Democracy or Parliamentary Democracy of Western Nations of the World.
This writing is of the view that Nigeria’s State economies are not ripe enough to take the charge of shouldering the responsibilities of police organization considering the poor economic condition of most of the States and the Nation.
On the other hand the creation of the State’s Police may create rivalry between the Federal Police and State’s Police especially during the elections period. The riveries may create serious problems in the ongoing democratic transition in Nigeria. This writing is on the same page with Professor Paul Collier of Oxford University London that “election is an institutional technology of democracy” (2009, UK) meaning that election is an instrument and engine as well as key element and one of the 57 principles of democratic system in both advanced and emerging democracies.
Hence, in advanced democracies the existence of state Police has been in existence since times immemorial for the maintenance of security and economic viability. But the cost of maintenance of Police in Nigerian States will be a huge task and some governors may decide to use their own Police to win elections by whatever means and may result to violence which may create the possibility to truncate the hard earned 25 years of democracy in Nigeria. History tells us what truncated the first Republic and second Republic were as a result of rigging that led to violence in 1966 and 1983.
Conclusively, this writing is of the opinion that the State Governors should change their decision on creating States’ Police for the continuity of Democracy in Nigeria. My country is currently a debtor nation an amounted to #130 Trillion worth. Hence, this is not the right time to allow Governors to create States’ own Police. Sincerely, the money to create States’ Police be converted into the annual Police budget to strengthen the tackling of security challenges in the country. Nigeria is in an economic crisis which needs an urgent solution and is number 163 in the Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations ranking among the 173 countries. Please our leaders forget about creation of State’s Police in the country.
Abbati Bako,political strategy and communication consultant and researcher in global political economy@Skyline University, Kano and student’s mentor in University of Kent,UK and Treasurer Kano Chamber of Commerce
