For an effective operation of the State Policing system which has received a very warm support at The National Assembly, a public analyst and an APC stalwart, Mr. Omoyele Olabode has strongly advised that strategic agenda must be factored into its creation.
He said that was to prevent the State Police creation from falling into the same pitfalls that have affected the conventional policing system in Nigeria.
Olabode gave this clear indication in a statement credited to him which was obtained by newsmen.
Earlier in an exclusive chat on Thursday, the Igbotako born tycoon had thrown his weight behind the state police creation, describing it as a security inclined idea which time has come.
In a follow up to the media chat as obtained in the statement Olabode personally endorsed, he noted that modern counter insurgency weapons should be made available to the officers and men of the state based police when they come into effective operations, stressing that combating insecurity goes beyond provision of baton and sticks for police men.
“The insurgents have in their custody high caliber guns and they have very strong intelligence gathering medium so to combat them and run them out of their firm grip hold areas, the police to confront them must be very well equiped,” he noted.
Olabode said the welfare of officers and men of Nigeria Police deserve attention as their pay should be seen as being enough to motivate them to bust crime, adding however that their fatigue when they are spotted on the road sometimes leaves much to be desired.
He said considering the formation of the State Police, government must take as an all important projection their welfare.
“If you want the State Police to function beyond the urgency of just creating them, make their take home enough to take them home and you will be impressed by their performance over time,” Olabode advised.
He equally noted that it is a salutary thing that The National Assembly has factored cautionary clauses into the State Police creation bill to prevent it from being hijacked and turned to a personal property of any overreaching State Governor.
“Across Nigeria, the fear gripping everyone is that insecurity has grown a larger than life scare and this is one brand we can’t afford to live with as a nation, so the onus is on all Nigerians across party divide, across sub national structures to make this bill to become effective as soon as possible,” Olabode added.