The Chairman House Committee for Information, Strategy and Security Hon. Stephen Ogundipe who represents Oshodi Isolo Constituency 1 has counselled the northern states stakeholders to do the needful as regards the call for creation of state police. In a chat with Sunrise News the lawmakers affirm why all states of the federation must be on same page as it bothers on ensuring security of lives and property, spoke on other sundry issues. Lanre Adesanya brings excerpt.
What is your take on the new vigour with which the Federal Executive Council is considering the idea of State Police creation?
I sincerely appreciate our Speaker Rt Hon Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa for graciously being at the forefront, championing the importance of state police in Lagos and also encouraging other states to follow suit and through advocacies of the House and our continuous pronouncements concerning the need for state police, other states have also keyed into it.
It was a thing of joy for us when we saw it coming and we are overjoyed that it would be accepted by all. We also moved at a very high-speed taking into consideration the urgency of the need for state police in Nigeria.
We all know what is happening all over the country and Lagos being the hub of business in the continent and Nigeria, always take proactive measures and that is why we even have a Trust fund just to cater for the security apparatus in Lagos.
More so, don’t forget that under the watch of our own leadership Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa through the 8th,9th and 10th Assembly our concern had always been that it should be operational.
So that other Governors and states who are yet to join can come and take up this matter and we also want to appreciate our colleagues at the National Assembly level, who had taken this up, knowing that there is this notion that if two-third agrees it is already accepted as what needs to be done and with that we just go ahead and make it happen, but we are still encouraging others to also move in so that it would be holistic.
HON STEPHEN OGUNDIPE OSHODI ISOLO CONSTITUENCY 1
Are you referring to those states alleged not to have submitted required report?
Yes, especially those in the north they should be more concerned about the security situation, because we are not too happy about the killings that is happening there. It has always has been causing us lots of embarrassment not only our country but also embarrassing all lawmakers.
It is expected given the urgency required that we move at the same pace to check this uncommon situation we find ourselves. We are also proposing and appealing that come 9th of September, let the necessary apparatus move so that we could come out boldly to say that all the states are ready for state Policing.
But Lagos had been at the forefront of this call even though spotted to be relatively peaceful?
We are using this opportunity to call on our own Governor who has done so much advocacy and groundwork to make things happen, through neighbourhood watch to continue in his strides, we have seen so much efforts he has been putting in.
It is also going to be a window to create employment for Lagosians, state policing is going to give us much windows to bring in men that are capable of working and making sure that we protect our states and various constituencies.
So that all these issues that we start seeing here currently, where people are being kidnapped and harassed on the roads which has never been part of Lagos will be tamed. We see small chaps coming from nowhere and taking charge of our streets and motor parks. If we have state police all these would stop.
This is the advocacy at the Lagos State House of Assembly, we are saying it is the right time, so important that we start it off now so that we could guide against all these things that we are seeing.
If people are going out to get their daily bread, they couldn’t be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring their safety again. So, it is our responsibility and duty that we make sure we guide against such acts. That is why you see all the forty members of the House of Assembly coming out to talk about it and to impress it on the Governor and all the stakeholders that it is right time for us to make it happen in Lagos state.
If we give any credence to the saying that security at the local front remains the most effectual, what role should the parents play in ensuring a secured society?
We have said this severally that the way and manner we were brought up is one for all and all for one, our cultural heritage and beliefs while growing up is that children are being handled by all parents in a given community, irrespective of who are your biological parents and we see this kind of family-oriented situation whereby a child that is good within the community belongs to all and the one misbehaving all the community are concerned and they move in to do corrections.
But this notion of I and my family alone, don’t get involved in our matter push us to where we are today and we are saying where did we get it wrong? What went wrong and at what point in time?
Because all the apparatus that Lagos requires to make things happen were all put in place. Parents are not being forced they are not paying school fees.
Just make sure you buy the basic things and your child can go to school, so that we could guide against some of these problems confronting us. So, from the parental and family aspects we should go back to our culture. Our culture that says that a child that is born belongs to the community and the community takes responsibility. If a child is misbehaving everybody comes round. The creation of CDA, CDC was also born out of the notion that you could guide against all this skirmishes we are seeing.
Thirdly, don’t forget that the way people move into Lagos is almost on a daily basis, that a point in time you find it difficult to even have the statistics of where they are coming from or even if they are Nigerians or not and further moves to address this brings up issues like where do you send them to?
So, we must be in a position to have our statistics to know who and who are residents of Lagos. We must be in a position to know where you are coming from and what do you do? How do we cater for you? Not just come in stay here in a bus stop and start making the place a home.
It is a multifaceted thing that we all have to come up to look at and we can only do that if all stakeholders are coming together and that is one of the key points that the Lagos State House of Assembly is going to look into and make sure that we agree that State Police is on board and we are about to start.
There will be so much advocacy and meetings within stakeholders so that we know what to do and how to go about it. My prayer is that families will take charge at the home fronts, they must take responsibilities it is not everything you push out to government.
These are your offspring, why go for five, ten children you couldn’t cater for? When the problem starts, whom do you call because people are looking at you that you refused to take necessary actions as a father, mother or as a parent or even as a community.
We must start engaging ourselves and do what is proper as we used to do in the olden days.
Is Lagos really ready for State Police?
I can tell you boldly Lagos is ready, we are ready because of the fact that it is our concern and even before we start talking about creating state police. Lagos itself have a Trust fund that is being managed by all stakeholders to ensure that we buy enough equipment’s, uniforms and materials they will be using and don’t forget that even Lagos on its own have a neighbourhood watch.
We have almost five parastatals within Lagos that are operating and we are also looking for the able ones amongst all these units and training is already on. To make sure they are in compliance with the current situation of things globally. So, Lagos is ready and naturally our concern is that we won’t want to go alone.
We want all of us to come on board and make sure it is a collective thing because if Lagos is safe and other states around us are not safe what is the benefit? It is just like someone who is the only rich man in an environment it is just telling you that he is also a poor man. What we are saying in essence is that since everybody is coming on board, Lagos itself being the economic hub of the nation is very ready and that is the reason that Lagos is the less security prone area throughout the country, just because we won’t play with that. It is a business-oriented place, it must be safe for investors, it must be safe for workers, it must be safe for the family and everybody.
That is how it is in all concerned parastatals, agencies and ministries in Lagos. Lagos is our concern and our responsibility to make sure that we are ready and things are in order.