State Police: Why Tinubu Should Slow Down — Dickson

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has urged President Bola Tinubu to slow down the implementation of plans to establish state police, despite expressing support for the proposed decentralisation of policing.

Dickson made the remarks during an interview on Sunday Politics, a programme aired on Channels Television, where he said security reforms should be approached cautiously to avoid unintended consequences.

While commending the Federal Government for initiating discussions on state police, the former Bayelsa State governor argued that the administration should focus first on addressing the country’s immediate security challenges, particularly terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

According to him, the implementation of state police should be left for the next administration after the necessary constitutional and institutional frameworks have been fully developed.

“President Tinubu should slow down the process of state police creation,” Dickson said.

He noted that although decentralising policing is a step in the right direction, broader constitutional reforms should accompany the process.

“I commend the move to decentralise policing, but we should also decentralise mineral rights. That’s what we call resource control,” he stated.

Dickson proposed that policing should first be decentralised to the geopolitical zones before full state police structures are introduced.

He explained that such an arrangement would allow authorities to test the effectiveness of decentralised policing while minimising potential political abuse.

The NDC leader also recommended constitutional amendments empowering state governors to appoint commissioners of police in collaboration with the Police Service Commission (PSC), subject to legislative screening and oversight by state Houses of Assembly.

“The president has done this, and it has my support, but my prescription would have been to decentralise it to the zonal levels first.

“Then, we amend the Constitution to give governors the power to appoint commissioners of police working with the Police Service Commission and subject them to screening and oversight by the Houses of Assembly,” he added.

Dickson maintained that such measures would improve accountability while ensuring adequate checks and balances within the policing system.

His comments come amid growing national debate over the establishment of state police as part of broader efforts to strengthen internal security across the country.

Meanwhile, the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has also expressed reservations about the timing of the proposed reforms.

Obi argued that introducing state police close to a general election could create concerns about political interference.

“You can’t amend the Constitution and give powers to governors when there’s an upcoming election,” Obi had said.

The proposed state police initiative has continued to generate mixed reactions among political leaders, legal experts and civil society organisations, with supporters describing it as a necessary response to Nigeria’s security challenges while critics warn against possible abuse by state governments.