The National Economic Council (NEC) has threatened to impose its decision on states that have failed to submit their reports on state police.
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, President Bola Tinubu agreed on the need to establish state police, as recommended by state governors, to curb rising insecurity in the country.
States were subsequently directed to submit their reports to the council for deliberation and action.
However, briefing correspondents after the council meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, the acting Governor of Oyo State, Bayo Lawal, said four states had yet to turn in their reports.
He stated that the NEC has given these states a deadline of Monday to submit their reports or be bound by any decision made by the council.
The states include Kwara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Adamawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Lawal said: “An update on the establishment of state police was considered as a result of the security challenges we face across the nation in the Northeast, North Central, Southwest, Southeast, and South-South regions so that we can have robust security in our nation.
“For that purpose, sometime last year, the NEC considered the establishment of state police and asked states to make submissions for consideration.
“Today, all the states were supposed to submit their reports for consideration by the NEC. Incidentally, four states couldn’t submit their reports.
“The NEC decided that those states must make their submissions on or before Monday, September 9th, otherwise, whatever decision the NEC takes on the establishment of state police will be binding on those states that refused to make submissions.
“So, that is the resolution as of today’s NEC meeting.”
Also speaking, Governor Abdul Sule of Nasarawa State announced the reconstitution of the flood committee following the reports of flood disasters in some states.
He said the committee was set up as part of the governance structure to ensure the interventions would not be ad-hoc.
According to him, members include the governors of Kogi, Oyo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Jigawa states.
Others are minister of state for water resources, minister of state for environment, the directors general of Nigeria Sovereignty Investment Authority (NSIA), Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Water Resources Institute (NWRI); the managing directors of the Nigerian Inland Water Ways (NIWA), Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), and North East Development Commission (NEDC).
Sule disclosed that the council has given Monday as the deadline for the submission of the details of damages suffered by the flood-affected states.
In his remarks, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State noted that NEC discussed the flood situation in the country exhaustively.
He said the governors acknowledged the support of the federal government in terms of releasing N3 billion as a measure to ensure that at least they provide palliative for the flood victims.
According to him, the flood was more devastating along the north east axis where, he said, a major artery between Kano and Maiduguri has been cut off with devastating effects on households, schools, bridges and other means of livelihood.
Mohammed also noted that lives were lost and a lot of properties were also destroyed.
He added: “Of course, that has really provided a big challenge to us as a government and as a people in our states because we need to provide more food security.
“Already, farmlands are already submerged and therefore there’s a need for collaboration between all the tiers of government to ensure food security.
“The need for planning, collaboration and interaction to do that during the harvest time because the bumper harvest may not be as envisaged.
“So, the federal ministry of agriculture and all our subnational ministries are supposed to collaborate and ensure that something comprehensive is done.
“I know there has been a lot of devastation and we have been asked to give an inventory of destruction before Monday. But other measures of governance in terms of governance structure have been established by the council.”
