Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has advised the National Assembly to make laws to allow for the establishment of state police in view of the security challenges in the country.
The governor made the call at the 11th Lagos State Executive and Legislative Parley in Lagos on Friday titled “Public Sector Management Engineering: The Continuing Story of Lagos”.
According to him, the current security challenges demanded that the country adopted a new and different approach to address the problem, stressing that state police held prospects to address the country’s security issues.
“The most urgent and compelling challenge our nation face now is that of security, law and order. Of course, security, law and order are the very foundation of good governance and economic growth.
“I believe the time has come for our national legislators to dig deep as no nation can have the kind of security challenge and refuse to be imaginative about law enforcement.
“Whatever the arguments and fears about state police may be, the truth is that we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. We must find the courage to do something new to bring collaborative capacity to law enforcement.
“To the best of my knowledge, the constitution prescribes perhaps there shall be one police force, but it has not forbidden multi-level policing.
“I believe very seriously that legislators can be imaginative and make a law that lives within the confines of the law to allow multi-level policing,” he said.
Fashola also urged legislators to review the National Inland Waterways Decree to strengthen water transportation in the states.
He contended that the laws limited the powers of states to freely use their inland waters as it placed the control of such waterways in the hands of the Federal Government.
“Through that law today, our capacity to effectively operate our water transport is being impeded by federal agencies like the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
“They require us to apply for permits to build jetties and terminals whereas water transportation is a concurrent matter under the constitution.
“So, it is anomalous for NIWA to ask us to seek permission before building such facilities. This is the time to review that law because it affects all the coastal states in Nigeria,” he said.
Fashola advocated stronger relationship between the legislature and executive to deliver democratic dividends to the citizens.
Muslim Folami, Special Adviser to the Governor on Legislative Powers Bureau, said the parley was a platform for political office holders to brainstorm on ways to move the state forward.
“So far, we have had 10 parleys which ended with various life changing resolutions to guide government on how best to move the state and nation forward,” he said.
The parley was attended by federal and state lawmakers, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as members of the state executive council.
Some of those at the occasion included Speaker of the State Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Sen. Ganiyu Solomon, Rep. Yakub Balogun and the state APC Deputy Chairman, James Odunbaku.
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