Top on the
agenda, among issues considered last Wednesday when the three senatorial
districts; Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket respectively gathered at the Civil Service
Auditorium, Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat Uyo to formalize the State’s
position on the review of the amended 1999 constitution was that of the quest
for state police.
The
issue which reportedly generated a lot of heated debates across the ten federal
constituencies and three senatorial districts in the state received lots of
comment and explanation from eminent citizens and political leaders in the
state before the issue was finally put to bed.
Commenting
on the issue before the position of the state was passed, the state governor,
Chief (Dr.) Godswill Akpabio (CON) relished the various juicy benefits that the
establishment of State Police would offer and as well adumbrate the challenges
the unitary and centralized police posed to checkmating crime in the state.
According
to Governor Akpabio, having what he called decentralized police would empower
the governor to forestall discipline and caution policemen who fail to
discharge their duties effectively. He mentioned that it would help to check
crime effectively in the society, “with state police there would be no arm
robbery, the governor will have instrument of authority to control the
apparatus that control crime”.
The
governor also cited language barrier as one of the major challenges facing
policing, making reference to a case in Owerri, where a royal father was shot
death by police, because of error of communication. “It is easier to use
indigenes to police the state than using outsiders”, stated the governor.
Despite
the governor’s explanations, there was a stiffer opposition to the provision of
state police, when the issue was thrown to the floor. People expressed fears
that the state police would be used against citizens at will, therefore,
creating more havoc and putting citizens’ lives in danger.
When
the session almost turned battle of the deaf, where participants started
shouting at mentioning of state police, chants of ‘All we are saying --- no
state police’ rent the hall, the ever vocal, dynamic and ebullient voice of
Akwa Ibom in the National Assembly, Hon. Ita Enang rose to put a calm to the
issue in his normal style.
Hon.
Enang pointed out that the agitation for or against the state police was not
wrong but that for reasonable argument in reference to what happened in the
early 70s during Awolowo and Nzegwu’s era where insecurity of state officials
outside their state was not guaranteed, and the situation where Nigerian
leaders in power will use state police to reel out attack on opponents would
not permit operating state police. The state however adopted the position of
the people by voting against state police just as the governor had established
that the decision to have or not to have state police depends on the people.
In
other issues decided in the meeting, the state voted in support of devolution
of powers to other tiers of government, recognition of the six geo-political
zones in the constitution, local government autonomy, need for fiscal
federalism, removal of immunity clause and protection of gender and special
interest and also voted against state creation, residency and indigenes,
rotation of offices, double tenure of the executive, medical reforms,
recognition of the traditional institution by the constitution and the Land Use
Act and the NYSC respectively.
Meanwhile,
the state would proceed to Calabar, Cross River State to submit Akwa Ibom state
position on the 1999 Constitution review and also to join forces with other
states in South-south Zone to come up with what they called the Zonal position
which would be taken to the National Assembly at Abuja for
consideration.
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