Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has stated his mind on the issue of state police saying he doesn’t believe in it.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said even though state Police is a good initiative, he does not want to be a part of it, a report by Punch has revealed. “It may be more efficient, which was why I congratulated the governor of Lagos State (Akinwunmi Ambode) when he started the Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps. It’s a good initiative,” the President said in a recorded interview aired on Arise TV on Monday night. He, however, said it could be problematic in the long run because most states could not afford to pay the salaries of their workers.
He said, “Lagos State is richer than the Federal Government. How many states are there that can pay salaries and you now ask them to go and form state Police?“And, do you know what can happen if you can’t feed the Police? Do you just give him uniform and a gun but can’t pay him salaries for six months?“It’s going to be a problem and I don’t want to be a part of it.”
Meanwhile, the President has expressed displeasure with the Police, saying if they were doing their job well, soldiers would not be seen on the streets. “I have a problem with the Police and I told them that, from my training and experience, the Police are supposed to be in the front line.“Now, Nigerians are seeing soldiers on the streets. This is not good for the Police and I told them this some months ago,” he said.