Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukuwma Soludo, has declared that policing Nigeria from Abuja is impractical, insisting that the current centralised system cannot effectively address the country’s growing insecurity challenges.
Reiterating his position on the proposed creation of state police, Soludo, during a media chat with journalists yesterday, said the idea that a single command structure can secure a country as vast and complex as Nigeria is unrealistic.
“It is just a no-brainer to think you can police the entire country from Abuja. It is a joke,” he said.
The governor, however, stressed that any move to decentralise policing must be backed by a corresponding review of the revenue-sharing formula under the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
“If you are devolving that, the consequential conversation about the revenue allocation formula will have to follow,” he said.
Soludo explained that the current fiscal arrangement heavily favours the Federal Government because of its constitutional responsibility for security, leaving states with limited resources to take on additional roles.
“Now, if we have to devolve some of those responsibilities, the states only get about 26 per cent, and when you share it among the 36 states, none gets up to one per cent,” he said.
He questioned the rationale behind the existing allocation formula, suggesting that its structure no longer reflects present-day realities.
“Many of these figures—53, 26, 21—how they were arrived at, I have no idea, but it is something we need to focus our attention on,” he added.
According to him, the present system resembles an “inverted pyramid,” where resources are concentrated at the centre rather than distributed to the grassroots where development is most needed.
“If we truly want rapid transformation, the structure should be a real pyramid, with the base getting most of the resources and a lean, efficient centre,” Soludo said.
The governor pointed to Anambra’s own multi-layered security structure as evidence that decentralised policing can work more effectively.
“Our own system shows that we cannot secure the entire Anambra from Awka alone,” he said.
Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reported that calls for the creation of state police have intensified in recent years, as political office holders have claimed that decentralizing law enforcement will improve reaction times and bolster local information gathering.
On March 4, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu officially opened a steering group of the Nigeria Police Force tasked with creating a framework for state police as part of ongoing efforts.
