An elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has said that the current police structure in Nigeria should be maintained.
The former Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly from 1979 to 1983, went further to buttress his stand by saying ‘he does not support the creation of state police in the country’.
Yakasai, like other participants at the Zonal 2-day Public Hearing for the proposed Alteration of review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Senator Kabiru .I. Gaya, along with other members of the Senate committee in Kaduna, spoke from experience said it would be subject to abuse when such room is created.
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“I recommend that we should maintain the current police structure in the country, I do not support the creation of state police. It will be subject to abuse. It happened before, it happened in northern Nigerian, in Western Nigerian under the western Nigeria police.”
Yakasai further explained that the creation of state police would create a very serious problem for the country, thereby destroying the democracy of the country, “if state police are created, the police would be used to oppress opponents and prevent oppositions from operating in the state, and that would be the surest way of destroying democracy”, he noted.
Continuing, the elder statesman also canvassed and argued that local government should be abolished.
He opined that the six zones of the country should be converted into regions.
“When we abolish local government, the financial allocation to local government should be utilized to provide structure and financial requirement by the newly created regions and the balance of the amount should be paid to each state according to the amount of money extracted from the abolishing of the local government in the state”.
Senator Ovie Omo- Agege led the Senate Adhoc Committee on the proposed alteration to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution, represented by Senator Kabiru Gaya at the Zonal Public Hearing explained that the committee had decided to adopt a bottom bottom-top approach by listening to citizens of Nigerian at the Geopolitical levels.
Gaya noted the approach underscores the critical importance the Constitution review committee placed on some National level of governance in Nigeria.
Rounding the public hearing on the Senate constitution review, the Chairman of the Northwest Zone, which includes; Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, and the host, Kaduna state hinted the committee had so far taken 44 participants in the process and promised all their recommendations and prayers would be looked upon.
Other members of the Senate committee, includes; Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, Senator Uba Sani, among others.
