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Governors Should Not Be Allowed To Abuse State Police – PSC Boss, Arase
With talks about the establishment of state police gaining momentum in the country, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, has warned state governors not to abuse state police.
Arase, the 18th Inspector General of Police, made this known on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande aired on Channels Television on Friday.
On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors met and considered the establishment of state police as a way to solve the escalating security challenges and the booming kidnap-for-ransom menace in the country.
Speaking on the state police alternative, Arase said, “Policing is local. Crime is environmental. State police is what we should be thinking about but then, there must be some safeguards put in place like is the governor going to be the one to appoint a commissioner of police and deputy commissioner of police?
“In order areas, the governor does not have control over the appointment of police commissioners. The truth about it is that of we are going to have state police, our political culture must be such that accommodate oppositions. Most of our governors, if they have control over police apparatus, their oppositions won’t be able to campaign anywhere.”
The police commission boss said there should be laws to check the excesses or otherwise of governors who abuse state police. He suggested that members of the civil society organisations, lawyers of repute, traditional rulers, religious leaders should be empowered to appoint police commissioners under the state police system.
He lamented that crimes will fester in a country where there are no consequences for crimes.
“We want to see more of prosecution; prosecution is a deterrence to others who want to go that route. The number of arrests in the past eight years is quite huge but it is not commensurate to the prosecution.
“You cannot attract investment in a place where there is no consequence for crimes committed,” he said.
He said technology should be used to aid or supplement the deficiency in manpower within the various security agencies.
He said Police-public partnership should be encourage and a bill should be passed that having closed-circuit television will be a mandatory requirement of public buildings like residential estates, shopping malls and the likes.
Arase said the government should embark on mass recruitment into the security agencies, train them along professional lines and skill acquisition in semi-formal areas for them to be financially independent. He said thereafter the trained pool can be made reservists and be called upon when the country needs extra hands to combat security challenges.
He reminded the President to actualise one of his campaign promises on mass recruitment into the Force, saying that may be the solution to the country’s internal disorder.
On police welfare, he urged the Federal Government to build units of two-bedroom flats for officers of the Nigeria Police Force to take care of their housing issues, especially after retirement. He also said there should be scholarships for the children of serving police officers.
“What will it cost the police management to start building two-bedroom apartments especially for the inspectors and rank and file; those are the ones I call the street managers because those guys are their come rain and come shine and even when it comes to shedding their blood?” he asked.
He further said the calls for right to bear arms by citizens should be discouraged because of mental health issues and the proliferation of firearms in the country.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has stated that his administration’s recent political realignment is aimed at advancing the state’s development, not destroying the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking through the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, during a press briefing in Asaba, Oborevwori said the decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress was informed by the political realities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Our desire is not to kill PDP but to move Delta forward, and so we changed our driving pattern.
“It was obvious that PDP won’t make headway in the forthcoming 2027 election, and so [there was] need to move to APC,” Aniagwu said.
Highlighting the administration’s performance, Aniagwu added, “In almost two years, we can see very bold and remarkable achievements by Governor Oborevwori and his team.
“We have provided roads in various communities, reducing travel time from Asaba to Ughelli to just one hour and forty-five minutes.”
He dismissed concerns raised by critics about the government’s capacity to deliver, stating, “Anyone suggesting that the administration is losing grip is far from the truth.
“We remain committed to delivering results.”
Aniagwu also revealed plans to mark the administration’s second anniversary with the commissioning of several completed projects, though the governor may not be able to personally inaugurate all of them due to the volume.
“Some of the key projects include the Beneku Bridge, Ishiagu-Ewulu Road and Bridge, Upper and Lower Erejuwa Roads in Warri, erosion control in Okpanam, Olomoro-Igbide Road, Otolokpo to Boji-Boji Owa, Akumazi-Owere-Olubor Road, and Obi-Ibabu Road, among others.
“We have also installed medical equipment at Asaba Specialist Hospital, Warri Central Hospital, and Delta State University Teaching Hospital in Oghara, all aimed at improving healthcare delivery and reducing medical tourism,” he said.
On security, Aniagwu stated that the state government has taken proactive steps. “The Inspector General of Police was in the state recently to commission operational vehicles.
“We have also improved street lighting across urban centres,” he said.
Addressing concerns about rising house rents in Asaba and other towns, the commissioner said the state government is implementing a housing scheme to expand livable spaces.
He noted that 50 residential units are being constructed in each local government area, with the pilot phase ongoing in Ozoro, Owa-Oyibu, and Kwale.
The scheme features 30 three-bedroom flats and 20 two-bedroom flats.
Award-winning Afrobeats megastar, David Adeleke, better known as Davido, has revealed that if he hadn’t ventured into music, journalism would’ve been his calling.
Speaking in a recent interview with Atlanta’s 96.1 The Beat which started trending on Thursday, the With You crooner explained his love for media and press engagement, something he admits he does more than most of his peers.
Davido said, “I like promo, I like conversations. A lot of people don’t know that I studied marketing apart from business management. I like to market myself, I love to talk. If I had a podcast, I talk for like three to four days [laughs].
Davido said he believes that interacting with the media is an essential part of being an artist, “I just feel like it’s part of being an artist. A lot of big artists don’t do press but I do because I can talk. But some people just don’t want to talk. When people meet me, I like to have conversations, I like to know things, I like information. Even at home, I’m also researching. If I wasn’t doing music, I would definitely be in journalism.
“A lot of people in my position would just sit down and let everything work for them. People be asking me why I have the most followers, it’s because I’m working.
“I know how hard Beyonce will work with all the money she got.”
Controversial actress, Nkechi Blessing, has announced a breakup with her younger boyfriend, Xxssive.
This is coming amid speculations of their breakup on the social media.
Speaking in a series of posts on her Instagram story on Thursday, the actress declared herself single.
“I have been single since last year,I choose when i want to talk about my life, and the time is now no bad blood Between me and anybody, we are good,” she posted.
Recall that the 36-year-old actress confirmed relationship with the 27-year-old man in September 2022, after her messy split with Ekiti born politician, Opeyemi Falegan.
The relationship has been in public eye, following their public displays of affection on the social media.
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