[size=16pt]State police now desirable –Gov Orji[/size]

By SAM OTTI
Sunday, August 08, 2010

Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, yesterday, implored the Federal Government to re-evaluate the policing structure in order to reduce the spate of crime in the country. He said the challenging insecurity situation in different states of the federation makes state policing a desirable option.

Governor Orji advocated this in Lagos at a reception organized in his honour by Abia indigenes in Lagos. Orji said some contractors handling projects in Abia were forced to flee the sites for fear of kidnappers.

He expressed concern over reports ascribing the notoriety of kidnapping to Abia alone, noting that there were reported cases also in Lagos State. Orji said his government has provided massive logistic support to security agencies in the state, adding that the incidence has reduced considerably.

“One of the things we have not done is for the governor to carry gun and enter the bush. I am willing to do it if these boys will not come out from the bush. I am appealing to them to lay their arms and come forward with their problems. The government is ready to listen to them and accomplish their yearnings.

“What we have been advocating for may not be in the interest of every person. But what we are saying is that our country should think of having state police command that would take directives from the state governor,” he said.
Orji also disclosed that governors of the South East states have entered into a joint venture agreement to purchase the Enugu distribution company of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He said the governors decided to pool their resources together to enable the region control the generation and distribution of electricity within the region.



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/08/national-08-08-2010-009.htm

This man seems to be recovering from the pillaging years of the Kalu family.
Great ideas governor!

[size=16pt]My Defection to APGA Was for Abia People, Says Orji[/size]

By Ndubuisi Ugah, 08.08.2010

Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji yesterday, said his recent defection from the Peoples Progre-ssive Alliance (PPA) to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), was to liberate the people of the state from the “political bondage” by some political cabals in the name of governance.
He said the movement became imperative given the spirit of liberation and reconciliation, which was currently sweeping the state.


Orji, who spoke at a reception held in his honour by the state indigenes resident in Lagos, said the liberation and reconciliation spirit was to further deepen and assure the people that the “political bondage,” which the state was once known for had become a thing of the past.
According to him: “I am highly elated at this auspicious occasion. This shows we have since moved up. We have moved away from the past era of bondage. We give God the glory.”
With thunderous shouts of “Ochendo 1” renting the well filled hall, Orji said the disunity factor had impacted negatively on the socio-political and economic development of the state, adding that Abians deserved a new lease of life.


He maintained that with the support of the indigenes, the state government would move the state forward through the provision of basic amenities to the people.
While expressing displeasure over the state of insecurity in the state, Orji said “government was on top of the situation.”
He noted that “government had put in place machinery to check the frequent cases of insecurity, arising from kidnappings, armed robbery, among
others.”


Some of the prominent indigenes such as Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, Chief Ndubuisi Kanu, Prof. Joe Irukwu, Prof. Herbert Orji, who spoke all spoke at the occasion, said it was necessary for all the indigenes to support the government in moving the state forward.
Similarly, Chief Sunny Aku, who spoke un behalf of the indigenes resident in Lagos, said the honour was to assure Orji that the indigenes were in support of his administration.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=180205

Image a lastma official as a state police man?

It seems it is only when state governments have peculiar challenges that they remember this state police mantra that the Lagos State governor then, Tinubu, demanded for during Obasanjo regime. That call was probably seen as political (AD vs PDP) and did not enjoy the support of other governors from opposing parties. The call was to be reiterated stridently by the current Plateau state governor at the height of his helplessness during the Jos riots.

The truth is that, regardless of political parties, it is only a revert to true federalism that is the key to solving many of the developmental problems facing Nigeria. Why should an inefficient monolith called PHCN or NEPA be responsible for the generation, distribution and transmission of power all over Nigeria?

[size=14pt]State Police, probably when democracy has run a good cause of 100 years. By then hopefully men of integrity and honour would be manning and calling the shots in our Governor's mansion. But today with people like Jang runnng amok in plateau it is a no -no.[/size]

Pukkah:

It seems it is only when state governments have peculiar challenges that they remember this state police mantra that the Lagos State governor then, Tinubu, demanded for during Obasanjo regime. That call was probably seen as political (AD vs PDP) and did not enjoy the support of other governors from opposing parties. The call was to be reiterated stridently by the current Plateau state governor at the height of his helplessness during the Jos riots.

The truth is that, regardless of political parties, it is only a revert to true federalism that is the key to solving many of the developmental problems facing Nigeria. Why should an inefficient monolith called PHCN or NEPA be responsible for the generation, distribution and transmission of power all over Nigeria?

Great post and an example of why Nigerians should keep an eye on what their leaders are doing. With Nigeria's population, diversity and size , State Police seems a genuine solution to the security challenges of Nigeria. Everything with FG involvement will remain comatose and innefficient because corruption will always ensure that Nothing works .

Meanwhile, Nigerians cannot particularly put the blame on anyone because of an unweildy and unnecessarily large political system that conveniently obscures personal culpability to the benefit of thieving Politicians. With State Police , Governors will be held accountable . Simple . Most Governors will then know that poor security will surely lead to the type of mass agitations for their removal even rigging cannot work against . As things are now , who do we blame ? Jonathan, Onovo, Governors, Ministers, Reps, Senators?

Most progressive Governors , who love their citizens and are not scared of confronting challenges, have been asking for State Police for a while and I think whoever is President in 2011 must consider it. This is another reason why we must gain a brave , resolute and progressive individual as President in 2011 . Some of the solutions and policies needed to fastrack the progress and development of Nigeria will be fiercely resisted by the "business-as-usual" thieves.

KnowAll:


[size=14pt]State Police, probably when democracy has run a good cause of 100 years. By then hopefully men of integrity and honour would be manning and calling the shots in our Governor's mansion. But today with people like Jang runnng amok in plateau it is a no -no.[/size]

State Police , IMO, should actually move us closer to good Governance. The security of lives and property is a very serious consideration for most Nigerians. Currently , even Jang and the various Police commisioners in Plateau State are full of excuses after every crisis. Jang is always blaming the  FG. With State police Jang would have to perform or be removed. Scores of people dying would be grounds for impeaching a Governor if he , as per State Police, is the ultimate authority on the success or failure of security in a State.


As thing stand , too many corrupt and underperforming Governors prefer the current arrangement because it enable them to blame the FG for poor security in their States while the likes of Fashola continue to agitate for State Police.

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state police?

no

State Police , IMO, should actually move us closer to good Governance. The security of lives and property is a very serious consideration for most Nigerians. Currently , even Jang and the various Police commisioners in Plateau State are full of excuses after every crisis. Jang is always blaming the FG. With State police Jang would have to perform or be removed. Scores of people dying would be grounds for impeaching a Governor if he , as per State Police, is the ultimate authority on the success or failure of security in a State.


As thing stand , too many corrupt and underperforming Governors prefer the current arrangement because it enable them to blame the FG for poor security in their States while the likes of Fashola continue to agitate for State Police.

[size=14pt]It took less then a week for hutu malitia to kill 800,000 tutsi's, to leave arms and all other military hardware in the hands of men who are as vindictive as Jang who is clearly running an ethnic regime would be a bad precedent.

The man is not any different from Milosvechi of Serbia who believed in Greater Serbia. Jang is a die hard Berom nationalist who is not ready to compromise.[/size]

i'm beginning to think these governors/politicians are orchestrating the insecurity in tis country in their quest for greater powers

first it was the dubious call for gsm companies to provide police with full unrestricted access to call records etal

now these pricks are agitating for their own police.

bastards all of them

they really are [img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=ffffff/txt=ffffff/border=ffffff/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

state police is not advisable at this point where most of the governors are criminals & confidence men

the NPF can be made very efficient via a few basic modifications on the current system.

KnowAll:


[size=14pt]State Police, probably when democracy has run a good cause of 100 years. By then hopefully men of integrity and honour would be manning and calling the shots in our Governor's mansion. But today with people like Jang runnng amok in plateau it is a no -no.[/size]

Remeber that sate police will be under faderal police

anyway state police will be the answer to all these insecurity in Nigeria but politicans are afraid because of the their selfish interest that is why it will never work in Nigeria even 100yrs coming.

Community policing sounds more like what we need right now, we can't handle state police yet.

Also let them remove prosecutorial powers from the police officers and attach civilian lawyers to the police stations to take care of this function. & create a roving internal audit department, or better yet create an external agency like the EFCC to carry out scheduled audits of the various police formations, and to also investigate cases of misconduct on the part of policemen.

PSC is good initiative, likewise the Police Community Relations Committee, these structures can be further expanded to become credible interfaces between the 'force men', their immediate communities and the society at large.

We need to move away from the warped mentality foisted on us by successive military regimes that there are two classes of human beings in Nigeria: the civilian & the fighting man. These armed men need to see the man in mufti as a fellow human being with equal rights in the eyes of the law. At the moment, policemen, soldiers, etc view the average civilian either as a potential criminal or an inferior being, cos he's not armed. That's why they are so quick to commit extrajudicial murders and then cook up the evidence.

ziddy:

Also let them remove prosecutorial powers from the police officers and attach civilian lawyers to the police stations to take care of this function. & create a roving internal audit department, or better yet create an external agency like the EFCC to carry out scheduled audits of the various police formations, and to also investigate cases of misconduct on the part of policemen.

Yeah, an audit of the Police is a very good recommendation.

Decentralizing the Nigerian Police will curb some level of insecurity as

Police officers will be citizens of their states, there will be no hiding place for the golden thieves

as their origins/homes/families can be easily traced. No Abdulkadir as DPO or CP in Okoro's state and vice versa.