Crisis among govs, meeting on state police, constitution stalls .

Posted by admin Constitution, Governors, Latest Politics Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

Amaechi, others mute on parley

• Aliyu, IG list dangers of state police

ONCE it was a cohesive house, but it is now clear that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is a divided body.

Twice it has fixed a meeting in a week but without adequate representation from the 36 states of the federation to discuss critical issues facing the country.

While 27 states were represented at the NGF’s meeting last Tuesday, only 17 states showed up for yesterday’s parley.

Due to the poor attendance, no communiqué was issued by the state chief executives who were present.

And unlike their such meetings when either the NGF Chairman and Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi addressed journalists or mandates a governor to do so, all the nine governors and eight deputy governors who attended the meeting, were evasive.

The Guardian learnt that the major issues tearing the forum apart are the push by some members for the creation of state police and a new revenue formula, which should be in favour some states from a section of the country.

Except for the governors of Sokoto, Kogi and Kaduna states, a few other northern deputy governors were seen at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, venue of the meeting.

Conspicuously absent was the Governor of Niger State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Babangida Aliyu, who had earlier at the regional group meeting on Wednesday addressed the press and was therefore naturally expected to be in attendance at the umbrella body’s meeting, if not for any other reason, but to strengthen the earlier resolve by the regional body to bring back peace, unity and tranquility to the North.

At last Tuesday’s meeting, members of the NGF failed to agree on constitution amendment, which would pave way for the setting up of state police.

They had said that the debate on the constitution amendment was shifted to after the Ramadan to enable their members, who were on Umrah (Lesser Hajj) return to Nigeria.

From the mood of the governors who attended yesterday’s parley, it was clear that all was not well within the body. The major gladiators in the forum who were seen in Abuja on Wednesday and earlier yesterday, did not show up but sent their deputies who are known not to take decisions on behalf of their principals at such talks.

Their absence, according to sources, was not unconnected with the hitherto unresolved stance of the northern governors on issues disparate to their other colleagues, which are threatening the unity of the forum.

Earlier at the northern governors’ meeting, Aliyu had stated: “We must not allow emotions and sentiments to override us. There is the need for tolerance of one another in the interest of national peace and integration. This call is very crucial because the interest of the nation is above any personal or sectional interests.”

An insider in the Northern Governors’ Forum said: “The issue of state police is not in the interest of the nation but more or less personal interest as well as the ‘unbalanced’ revenue sharing formula. Therefore, the regional state executives are opposed to state police.”

On why most of the governors who attended the northern version’s meeting in Abuja were absent at the NGF, sources alleged that there were other political intrigues being played underground to advance the interest of the region in 2015, hence the directive to the 40-member committee to review all reports and recommendations of other committees set up in the past to address all issues that affect the North.

Amaechi did not give any reason for the absence of most of the governors even though he had assured Nigerians last Tuesday that the forum would meet immediately after the Ramadan, when some of his colleagues would be back from the lesser hajj.

One of the issues Amaechi promised to be discussed at yesterday’s meeting included constitutional amendment.

Even within the North, there are discordant tunes on state police.

Yesterday, Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar disagreed with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida over the desirability of state police.

The governor and the IGP, who spoke in Minna at the commissioning of some vehicles donated to the state police command, asserted that Nigeria is not ripe for state police.

They said political leaders were bound to use state police against their opponents.

Aliyu said in 1950, local police were effectively used in all the regions by political leaders against their opponents, saying that the present political leaders, including himself, would do same if given policemen under his firm grip.

Babangida had during his 71st birthday celebration in Minna last week supported the establishment of state police, saying that Nigeria should put behind the experience of 1950 and “we should not allow past experience hunt us.”

He added: “Left to me, the whole essence of governance is to provide adequate security for the people and whatever way this is achieved is acceptable. I don’t believe the fear of what happened in the 50s should continue to haunt us. We should try to move on.”

Mohammed, during a courtesy call on the governor, insisted that the issue was not that of state police but adequate funding of the present federal police and support from all stakeholders to make it more efficient. According to him, if the present Nigeria police were adequately funded, they would perform better, stressing that at the moment there are police stations that cannot boast of single vehicle and communication equipment. “If we have the right equipment, we will do better,” he insisted.

Corroborating Aliyu and Mohammed views, a former Comptroller of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Alhaji Ali Wakili, said state police would be used by governors to intimidate their opponents or perceived enemies.

He said: “If you look at the federal police right now, people are still complaining that the state governors who are supposed to be Chief Security Officers (CSO) of their states are using them to intimidate people, especially during the campaign periods.”

He told journalists yesterday in Bauchi that the Federal Government under the military, abolished local police because they were used to intimidate opponents.

“It has been reported that police attached to the governors leave their statutory duties and go into duties that are not even worthy of any policeman,” he added.

Also yesterday, the Primate of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) Worldwide, Revd. Rufus Okikiola Olubiyi Ositelu, warned on the danger of any government supporting a particular religion in a nation, which he said portends a great danger to stability of such a nation.

At the grand finale of the 69th Tabieorar 2012 with the theme: “Testimony Galore” at Mount Tabieorar Ground, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,

Ogere-Remo, Ogun State, Ositelu said:

“In Nigeria of today, there is undue influence over recognition of one religion, which has led to the termination of innocent lives in the northern part of the country where an average Nigerian does not have the liberty to practice a religion of his own choice.

“This is wrong as religion should be a personal decision and a private affair and every good government, whether state or federal, should distance itself from the issue of religion.”