Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; flanked by his Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Mr. Kunle Dada (Left); and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, while addressing Aviation Correspondents, shortly after his return from South Korea, at the Murtala Mohammed Int'l Airport, Lagos... on Tuesday.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said the that the creation of state police is the norm in most societies in order to ensure adequate security of the citizenry.
The Governor made the disclosure at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, shortly on arrival from Seoul, South Korea.
Fayemi stated that his position on the vexed issue has not changed and said he does not see any evidence on the other side that would change his position.
His words, “When I talk about state police; I am talking as a security expert which is my own area and I am not playing politics with it. I have a PhD in this area and I know what obtains everywhere.
“In the world in order for our police to become more efficient, we need to ensure that we also create a condition for policemen to function effectively as it is done everywhere in the world anywhere you have a Federal system, that operates a unified police system, there is none. It is a norm all over the world, anywhere you have a federal system you always have police system at every level of the federation, you can name it”.
He challenged people opposed to the system to conduct their research as it is done in the United States, Australia, Canada, and India.
To him, everywhere there is a federation, the police exist at the local level, adding that, “even at the city level you have a state police and a federal police. They do different work and the work is complimentary and also in many of the states I have highlighted they have a single training institution so that training is regularized”.
In India, Fayemi stated that the police academy in Hyderabad trained people both at the local level, provincial level and at the federal level.
Asked if it is not a contradiction and duplication of functions, he noted there is no contradiction in having police functional at the local level and also functional at the national level.
“There are national issues that involve cross border crime that will involve the federal police, there are also local crimes that are better handled at the local level so there is no conflict and there is no issue it is only in Nigeria that sometimes we create a mountain out of a molehill”. Those who have argued against state police and the other day I see that the president has joined them, the major issue they raised is that we are not ripe, I don’t know what that means that we are not ripe because it is about safety and efficiency”.
“In order to short change our future, security is the first responsibility of any government. I hope National Assembly will do its job. And why do we have a police force hat is ill- equipped? Those police you are talking about, I buy patrol vehicles, I buy bullet proof cars, I pay for insurance and allowances and my 35 colleagues also do the same in their states, so if we are responsible for using state money to run the police, but it is not okay for state to control the police what a contradiction in that, I don’t think that’s acceptable, I think he who pays the piper dictates the tunes but he should not dictate the tune irresponsibly, he should dictate the tune in a manner that is in the overall interest of the people and the police force itself so we can have a much more efficient system,” he said.
“Everybody agrees that the system has broken down so why are we pretending even when you call the police and ask them privately, they agree with you. So my position remains the same on state police. I will continue to fight for it,” he added.
“We have argued on our part that you are much more efficient in an area you are familiar with. If you bring a policeman from Zungeru to Ekiti state, it will take him a considerable amount of time before he becomes familiar with that environment before he knows the nuances. Police work is not all about the gun you carry about; it is about the intelligence and that is what has been lacking. It is the absence of intelligence that has hampered police from operating efficiently,” he said.
“If you do not know the environment, where you are operating to gather the intelligence that can then enable police to efficiently operate? If you do not know the environment where you are operating, how are you going to gather the intelligence and work efficiently, it is not about ego,” he added.
Speaking on his trip which took him to about four countries, Governor Fayemi said : “I went to Seoul where we had an engagement with Samsung Electronics one of the largest electronic corporations in that part of the world; where I signed an MoU with the President of Samsung Electronic with a view to establishing an engineering assembly plant in Ekiti.
“In addition to that we explored opportunities for medical care and we will continue to expand the work we are already doing with them on information technology in secondary schools and expand that to Ekiti electronic governance initiative with Samsung electronic. It was two weeks of a hectic schedule but it was worth it.”
He added, “I was in China for a trade mission, the Chinese African Forum Conference which gives us the opportunity to discuss the opportunity to develop infrastructure and agriculture with US EXIM Bank. I went to see the EXIM BANK to discuss opportunities on how we are going to develop all of that and it was very fruitful.”
Fayemi, an Action Congress of Nigeria party governor, said he was also at the Democratic National Conference in the US alongside over 300 political leaders from various part of the world.
He said other political leaders from Nigeria including ACN leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was also at the convention.
“The Democratic Convention was also very interesting and I have always associated with the democrats and as it is, I received the invitation more than two months ago. I was part of the Nigerian political leaders there, in company of our leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Ken Nnamani,”
“The Chairman of ANPP, Dr. Ogbonanya Onu, was there, alongside other 300 political leaders around the world. It was an international leaders’ forum which usually holds side by side with the Democratic Party’s convention. There was nothing unique about it, it is something that happens every four years and they tend to invite leaders that they feel have contributions to make on the state of democracy in the world.
“I also gave a keynote address at the convention of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, North America chapter in Baltimore.”
Last modified: September 12, 2012