A former director-general of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has advocated funding of state police with three per cent of the Federation Account.
He commended the unprecedented consensus among Nigerians and the bipartisan agreement on the urgent need to establish state police as an imperative response to contain the nationwide security mess.
Okechukwu, however, warned that the success of the state police will depend largely on the dedication of three per cent funding mechanism to sustain its operations.
He said that after going through the bill passed by the House of Representatives, “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” one couldn’t locate a specific percentage to adequately fund state police.
He therefore advocated that 3% of the Federation Account be dedicated specifically to funding state police, stressing that without proper financial backing, the nation risks unleashing official toll collectors and police thugs on the populace.
He stated that poor funding is antithetical to modern gadgets, an essential ingredient in asymmetrical warfare, pointing out that the devolution of police powers and other synergy paradigms are not enough to address poor funding, which rendered the Federal Police prostrate.
According to him, “the realities on the ground have made State Police an unavoidable national necessity. However, the creation of State Police without a clearly defined funding framework in the Bill and synergy paradigm with other security agencies will amount to chasing shadows.”
He cautioned that leaving the financing of State Police entirely to the discretion of individual State Governments may undermine the reform’s objective, insisting therefore that an appropriate adjustment to the federal government’s share of the Federation Account should accompany the Bill.
