By New Telegraph

Copyright newtelegraphng

…Says Nigeria Needs Courageous Leader As Tinubu

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has insisted that Nigeria must not delay the creation of state police if it hopes to tackle its security challenges effectively.

Kalu, who spoke with journalists in Abuja on his return from Geneva, Switzerland, where he attended the 55th Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation/Inter-Parliamentary Union (WTO-IPU) Public Forum 2025, said Nigeria’s current centralised policing structure was inadequate and far behind global standards.

The Deputy Speaker, who was hosted by Nigerian Students at Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts, United States (US), said the only way this can be achieved is to unbundle it from its current structure.

He said: “On the State Police bill that is before the parliament, we are thinking about the response time of policing in Nigeria, which at the moment is below the global standard.

“The only way we can achieve this is if we unbundle it from the way it is centralised, like what other countries are doing: Municipal Police, State Police. And just the constitution is clear on what is on the concurrent and exclusive lists.

“Certain subject matters will now be handled by the State Police and Federal Police, respectively, if we set it up and break it down the way Nigerians want it, and that’s why we are calling for the national public hearing on Monday.

“Let’s have this conversation on issues like this to know whether you want it or not, or if it should be tailored in one way or the other.

“There may be fears of hijacking it, but we cannot deny the majority of Nigerians the security of lives and property that we promised them as a government.

“So, we should be looking at the bigger picture. Everyone in Nigeria may not be a politician, but everyone needs security of life and property. So, we are saying which one we should go for?

“The greater good or the fear of the minor threat? . I think we should go for the greater good so that the good in the majority will suppress the threat in the minority.”

He said Nigerians demonstrated rare patriotism and resilience by standing with President Bola Tinubu in the wake of the fuel subsidy removal and other bold economic reforms, stressing that the difficult decisions were necessary to put the country on the path of sustainable growth.

He said the Nigerians in diaspora showed keen interest in the government’s reforms and in issues of representation.

“The engagement was to have an appraisal of what we are doing, bring them up to speed with what the government is doing regarding reforms. How far the reforms have fared and where we are headed. You and I know that Nigeria needed this reform. There’s no two ways about it.

“We needed a leader with courage, a leader with boldness to be able to take the steps the President has taken. Some of us who are in the same administration with him, though we’re in the other arm of government, are standing fully with him on this reform.

“Removing the subsidy launched us into an era of seeing things the way they are, feeling the pain, and then adjusting so that we can enjoy better later on.

“And many may have thought we were going into recession and the rest of them. But we weathered the storm, and I want to thank Nigerians. As Nigerians, we are very resilient. And we were able to stand with him. Today, the dynamics have changed.”

The deputy speaker also commended the State governments for helping to diversify the economy, saying it will increase job creation and boost the economic well-being of the citizens.

He urged Nigerians to stay engaged, patient, and supportive of the reforms, while also participating actively in shaping policies such as the state police bill.

“Just imagine 36 States engaging in productive engagements, outings, whether it’s in agriculture, in production, and also the rest of them, it will create more jobs, increase our wealth. And I think that is the intention of these reforms. I was happy when I saw the president say in August that their target for revenue had been achieved for the year.

“It’s a step towards the right direction. It may not be so cozy, but it’s leading us where it’s supposed to lead us. And we needed a president with balls, a president with courage to do this. And we thank him for having the courage and Nigerians for supporting him to get this done the way it has been done. We are looking forward to the benefits of these reforms going forward.

“This is the time for everybody’s hands to be on deck. We cannot afford to be distracted. It is time to move Nigeria forward,” he said.