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Nigeria not ripe for state police — Retired CP
By Abba – Eku Onyeka Abuja
A retired Commissioner of Police (CP), Barr Lawrence Alobi has said Nigeria is not ripe for state police.
The retired CP said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.
The issue of state police has attracted comments from many Nigerians, either for or against. The retired CP spoke against it before Lagos state Assembly recently voted for it and sent a letter to Mr President, that it be enshrined in the country’s constitution during amendment.
On his reason, when asked, due to its demand and the state of insecurity in Nigeria, Alobi said that Nigeria isn’t ripe for state police, adding that it can only work when they see themselves as Nigerians instead of seeing it on the basis of ethnicity and religion. He maintained that “it can only work when there is Nigerian consciousness in in Nigerians.”
Still maintaining his stand, he said: “If somebody from Ibadan commits a crime in Enugu and runs to Ibadan, the police in Ibadan will assist in arresting him. But if it is based on the ethnicity, the police in Ibadan may want to shield him. So until we develop Nigerian consciousness in us, it won’t work and the police work is so important in every given nation and needs to be handled with care.”
He however advised that the natives across states of the federation collaborate with the law enforcement agencies in the on going fight against insecurity in Nigeria.
Making his point, he said that security is everybody’s business, which, if tackled in collaboration with the natives and the law enforcement agencies, according to him would go a long way. Reiterating the need for partnership between the indigenes and the government agencies, Lawrence Eko Alobi reminded Nigerians that the law enforcement agencies are not spirits and, can only deliver in collaboration with the natives, who according to him, know every nook and cranny of their villages.
He advised that natives not to relent in their efforts to give the security agencies all the required assistance, in order to minimize insecurity in Nigeria, adding that without the voluntary assistance, there is little the government can do, even as he alleged that some of the natives know the gangsters.
Still speaking on the need for the natives to involve themselves curtailing insecurity, he said that community policing was established by former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun during the time of Obasanjo as president, which according to him was fully launched and implemented by the present Inspector General (IG) of Police, Mr. Muhammad Adamu by involving the traditional rulers and other stakeholders.
Hailing the IGP for performance, he urged proper funding of the police. Alobi therefore informed that in order to ensure proper funding of the police, for effective performance, the IGP according to him, launched the Police Trust Fund (PTF), effected some amendments in the Police Act, as well as working on the police reform. All these, he said will go a long way to enhance policing in the country.
He, however, enjoined the President not to be in a hurry to remove the IGP in office to enable him consolidate on all what he started.
…Judgment puts an end to leadership crisis — Party Chairman
By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna
The controversies surrounding the leadership of the Action Alliance(AA) Party Seems to have been brought to rest as a Federal high court sitting in Abuja dismissed the suit filed by some members of the Party challenging the Party’s National Convention held in Abeokuta which produced Adekunle Omo-Aje as the National Chairman of the Party.
Delivering his judgement, Justice James Omotosho, held that the officers produced by the National Convention are recognized officials of the Party.
According to him, the election was conducted in line with the Party’s constitution, saying the National Convention held at the Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC.)
Reacting to the judgement, the National Chairman of the Party, Hon. Adekunle Omo-Aje described it as an end to the controversies surrounding the leadership of the Party.
“This case that we won today was not initiated by Kenneth Udeze, it was Ukadike Chinedu and Amb. Abdulrasheed, the former National Secretary of the Party, and Esther Esevohare, the Former Women Leader. They are the ones who took me and my National Executives to this Court, about our National Convention.
“Today’s ruling according to him is a victory for the rule of law and our democracy. I commend the judiciary for its uprightness. I agree with the position of the Hon. Justice Omotosho that there should be an end to litigation.
“Indeed, the Nigerian system of justice is improving before our very eyes or generation. By the grace of God, Action Alliance will never fall into the hands of dishonest and untrustworthy leaders.
“I further commend the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Maitama during the pendency of this suit. Together, we can deepen democracy in Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that Some members of the Action Alliance (AA) have sued Adekunle Omo-Aje, the party’s national chairman, over the conduct of the national convention.
The aggrieved members led by Ugochukwu Ogbuji, deputy national publicity secretary of the party, filed the suit before the federal high court in Abuja.
Ogbuji said the national convention ought not to have been conducted since the current tenure of the National Executive Committee (NEC) members was yet to expire.
“They went to Olusegun Obasanjo’s Library in Ogun State on October 7, 2023, and did what they called selective election without the consent of the National Working Committee (NWC) and NEC of the party,” he said.
“There was no meeting that was held that the NWC took a decision that we should have a national convention.”
Ogbuji alleged that some of those who attended the convention were not members of AA.
According to him, the plaintiffs did not bother to explore the internal mechanisms of the party to settle the dispute because Omo-Aje would not listen to advice.
The plaintiffs are praying for the court to set aside the convention which was held on October 7.
They also want the court to compel Omo-Aje to produce his senior secondary school certificate examination (SSCE) certificate which is the minimum qualification required to be the national chairman of AA.
“We are now approaching the court that if such a person has the basic requirement, he should present it to the court,” he said.
“That is what makes him the national chairman. We are saying that the court should ask him to produce it.
“Let us know if he has it or not. For now, we have not seen it. Let him present it to the court.”
Other plaintiffs in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1447/2023, include Amb. Suleiman Abdulrasheed the former National secretary Esther Esevohare, the former national women leader; Deborah Banjo, former national treasurer; Samuel Oboro, former financial secretary; Mike Madu, former national youth leader; Chinedu Ukadike, an ex-officio of Southeast; Sunday John-Bull, the ex-officio of south-south, and Isa Haladu.
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, has said that the recent executive order by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on zero import duties on pharmaceuticals will crash product prices.
Muda Yusuf, the director of CPPE, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced that President Tinubu had signed an executive order to introduce zero tariffs, excise duties, and Value Added Tax on specialised machinery, equipment and pharmaceutical raw materials to bolster local production of essential healthcare products.
Reacting to the development, CPPE stated that the measure will boost domestic production of pharmaceutical products, reduce the cost of medications, improve access to healthcare and positively impact the well-being of citizens.
The economic think tank said Nigeria needs similar executive orders for agriculture, agrochemicals and agro-allied industries to curb the surging food inflation.
It stated that similar interventions in the energy sector and the iron and steel sector would aid the construction industry and reduce construction costs for housing and infrastructure.
“We also need fiscal policy protection to support domestic investments in petroleum refineries to conserve foreign exchange, create jobs, and deepen backward integration,” he said.
CPPE urged the presidency to ensure compliance by the MDAs with these executive orders in the spirit of current efforts to boost domestic production, grow domestic talents and reform the economy.
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) says account names discrepancies in Bank Verification Number (BVN) linked alternate account of some defunct Heritage Bank customers is delaying the payment of their insured deposits.
Mr Bello Hassan, the Managing Director of NDIC told the newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.
Hassan said the corporation had paid substantial amount to depositors of the defunct bank without BVN account linked issues.
He called on depositors of the bank who were yet to receive their insured deposit credit alert to visit the NDIC’s website and complete their verification forms for their payment.
The managing director said the verification would also include depositors without BVN alternate account.
”We have already commenced the payment of customers since June 6.
”We have paid substantial amount to the customers.
”What we leverage in making the payment is BVN of customers. We trace alternate accounts in other banks and pay them their insured amounts.
”There are some that we have challenges linking up because of some discrepancies between the names and others.
”We are calling on customers that have not received their alerts in their alternate accounts to come forward and complete their verification forms so that we can pay them,” he said.
On payment of depositors with more than five million naira with the bank, Hassan said they would be paid liquidation dividend.
According to him, NDIC have already commenced the process of disposing the physical buildings and also set the process in motion to make sure that we recover the loans and advances that were granted the bank.
”That is what we use in paying those liquidation dividends.
”We are not going to wait until we recover everything, no.
”As we recover, we will also advertise to say that we will pay liquidation dividends so that concerned depositors will be on the look out for alerts in their accounts,” Hassan said.
NAN reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 3 revoked the banking licence of Heritage Bank Plc.
CBN said the decision was made due to the bank’s failure to improve its financial performance, posing a threat to financial stability.
Leadership tussle: Court dismisses suit challenging AA National Convention
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