The Federal Government (FG), has been called upon to decentralize powers to State Commissioners of police for effective and efficient combating of crime in Nigeria.
Governorship aspirant under the auspices of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in Delta State, Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, made the call during the 3rd Annual National Conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA), Nasarawa State, on Tuesday October 26th 2021.
The security expert who delivered a paper with the theme: “National Security, Covid-19 and Social Issues in Nigeria”, said: “without adequate security, there is no nation. In a well-run nation, the office in charge of security is the office of ‘The National Security Adviser’ who work hand in hand with the leadership of the country, the president, Defence minister, head of the police service, defence intelligence agency” emphasing that all working and coordinating jointly for the purpose of having one integrated security apparatus.
The Criminologist, debunked the insinuations in some quarters of the country that there are shortages of personnel to man critical security architecture which has jettison peace across the country.
“We are not short of assortments of security departments. These include National Security Adviser, Police, Army, Navy, SSS (State Security Service), Civil Defense, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency”.
While lamenting that the main negative effect of lack of security could only be imagined as insecurity affects everyone no matter the tribe, sex or age, he said he was still saddened that what he taught most of the top security personnel in Nigeria, has not been put to use.
According to him, this has caused the security of the country to be compromised with the attendant fatal consequences, “there is a lot of insubordination within the top echelon of the security apparatus, resulting in personality clashes with no attendant checks and balance within the system”.
He posited that the major problem is the fact the president deals directly with the Directors of SSS, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Agency, IG of police, Chief of Navy, Chief of Army and the Chief of air force, which he said has resulted in lack of coordination and mutual respect by each arm of these security agents.
While equally recalling that 29 years ago, he gave a lecture tagged: “A TIME TO CRY”, where he bemoaned the lack of national security at the time, said: “Nothing has really changed and we still cry”, stressing that he lack word to describe the present state of the country, rather than “Collapse”.
He added that distrust has put the Nigerian State in a situation where citizens agitate for disintegration and fragmentation, resulting in daily loss of lives, “what we now have as an unfortunate collapsed nation where the regions are agitating for a self government”.
He warned that when there is an overwhelming demand for separation has taken a centre stage, it follows that whatever union there was has collapsed to the extend that the nation Nigeria, is In a state of comatose.
The security expert however expressed hope that the country could be coupled together.
Hear him: “There is a solution. In my opinion, the leaders of this country must come together, sit down and come up with a workable Constitution, which of course is the first basis of a union. The present Constitution does not work because the people did not put it together.
“We ought to go back to the drawing board. The constitution must emanate from the people. A constitution must pass through a plebiscite, a constitution must pass through the people and the people must agree and debate their constitution because it is their constitution and a military constitution”, Olorogun Gbagi, profers solution.
