Thirty six state Houses of Assembly will pass the proposed establishment of state police upon receipt, Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislature of Nigeria, Adebo Ogundoyin, has said.
Ogundoyin, who is also the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, stated this, yesterday, at the signing ceremony of the State Assemblies Business Environment Roundtable (SABER) with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
He said: “I can assure Nigerians that the 36 state Houses of Assembly are ready to pass the bill into law as soon as they receive it. We have seen that effort of the federal police is no longer sufficient to keep the entire country safe, hence the determination to do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the people.”
Ogundoyin also gave an insight into why local government autonomy may not see the light of day, saying: “We practise a federal system. Therefore, in a federal system, only the federal and state governments are recognised. The local government authorities are left to the states to handle. For example, while there are only 33 local governments that exist in the constitution, we have more than 60 local councils in Oyo state.
The Oyo State Government knows the best way to develop its environment. The Federal Government cannot legislate the governance structure of the local government, except we are now practising another system of government.”
On the signed deal with NESG, Ogundoyin said: “This partnership marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to drive sustainable economic growth and development in our beloved states and the country at large.
“The collaboration between our esteemed legislative bodies and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group signifies a commitment to fostering conversations and collaborating on projects that focus on establishing effective legislative structures to enhance the business climate at the sub-national level and improve sub-national competitiveness. By working together, we can harness the power of our collective expertise and resources to create a more prosperous and inclusive future for all our constituents.”
The NESG Chair, Niyi Yusuf, said several sectors within states have the potential to spur economic growth.
He identified agriculture, trade, financial services, manufacturing, extractive industry, electricity, transportation, information and communication technology, and the creative industry.
Yusuf insisted that states play crucial roles in enhancing the standard of living and can improve the economy.
