By Our Reporter
President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his resolve for the creation of State Police, saying that he had assured the United States and European partners to bring such to fruition.
President Tinubu stated this at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, which held on Thursday, stressed that State Police "must happen" as part of efforts to improve internal security and strengthen governance at the subnational level.
This was just as he insisted that local government autonomy must work in practical terms, urging governors to stop withholding funds meant for council chairpersons.
The president charged party leaders to show leadership through reconciliation, accommodation, and flexibility at the grassroots level, even as he equally urged governors and other stakeholders to take responsibility for what happened in their states and local governments, saying that they must do this as chieftains of APC, being the majority party in the country.
Tinubu said he recently held discussions with foreign partners and assured them that Nigeria would move towards state policing, expressing confidence that APC would deliver the required backing.
"I had a very long discussion with them. US and European partners, and I was bragging to them that we will definitely pass a State Police Bill to improve security.
"They asked me if I’m confident, and I said, ‘Yes, I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen,’ and if at this level we fail, God forbid, we will not fail,” Tinubu stated.
President Tinubu argued that the responsibility for political reconciliation and internal party cohesion rested with leaders at all levels, stressing that flexibility and tolerance were essential for stability and progress.
He also called attention to the recent Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, urging party leaders to support its implementation and use it to strengthen grassroots governance.
The president noted that autonomy would be meaningless if councils were not adequately funded, insisting that allocations meant for local governments must go directly to them.
"Look at the recent Supreme Court judgment, what can we do with it, and how well we can position our country and our party?
"To me, the local government autonomy, it is and must be effective.
"There is no autonomy without a funded mandate; give them their money directly. That’s the truth. That’s compliance of the Supreme Court," he insisted.
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