‘It Is Long Overdue,’ Sanwo-Olu Backs State Policing To Tackle Insecurity

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has backed calls for the creation of state police, noting that it is long overdue.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics at the Lagos House, Sanwo-Olu said Nigeria should make state police happen.

“It is long overdue, we should make it happen,” the governor said in reaction to his stance on the creation of a state policing structure in the country.

“In fact, that is one of the critical things that I believe will help us. It has been said over and over again.”

When asked if governors are frustrated that they cannot take 100 percent charge of the security situation in their respective states, Sanwo-Olu replied in the affirmative.

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The Lagos governor believes that once the police outfit is domesticated, it will be easier for officers to effectively tackle crimes in the state since they are already used to their different host communities.

He explained the Lagos State Government has been supporting the Nigeria Police Force in the state with the purchase of vehicles, provision of fuel and allowances which should be done by the Federal Government.

“The last time, we gave them 1,250 constabularies and we are paying their salaries. We paid for everything – uniform, food, etc. So we are actually incurring those expenses already.

“It is really not going to have any bigger bolt on our numbers because that is what we are doing. But it will help us to know that there are state police. What we will do is that somebody grows up in an area, you will understand that area.

“You will know where Okokomaiko is, you will understand the issues around Ojoko, you will know what the problem is in Lagos Island once it is domesticated,” he added.

The governor also spoke on transportation in the nation’s commercial capital, noting that his administration will not scrap the yellow buses popularly known as ‘danfo’, but remodel them to meet modern standards.

He stated further, “It will be unfair for us. These are important stakeholders. They served our citizens. They served Lagosians for a long time. It became the print of Lagos, the yellow buses.

“Let’s be very creative. Let’s see how we can remodel them without scrapping them out. We are collaborating with them. You know that our citizens now deserve newer models of cars.”

The governor said the state has signed an agreement with a local bus manufacturing company to replace buses burnt during the #EndSARS protest.