A non-governmental initiative, Project Africa Movement, has called on the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to give way for state and local government autonomy, particularly in the area of security.

Project Africa Movement believes that security of life and property should not be left only in the hands of the police and the army because they are already overwhelmed by the enormity of Nigerian security challenges.

According to the president of body, Mr. Solomon Ayodeji Mofolorunsho-Ogunjobi, the National Assembly should immediately provide the legal frameworks for local government and state police autonomy so that they could work together with the police and the army in wiping out criminal elements from the society.

“Our current security architecture is grossly inadequate and cannot take us to the promised land. Our country is very large and we have the biggest population in Africa. Furthermore, criminal elements from Chad, Niger, and Mali have mingled with our people and they are wreaking havoc on our people. Nigeria is therefore, a very difficult country to police. We need to be innovative. We cannot continue to work with the old system that is no longer working.

“Project Africa Movement has noted the comments of many prominent Nigerians and wondered why no action has been taken in that direction. One is the founder and Commander General of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Alhaji Ali Sokoto, who once said on record that the country is grossly under-policed. Sokoto lamented that Nigeria, with a population of between 180 million and 200 million people, has fewer than 300,000 policemen.

“Chief Raymond Nkemdirim, a former Director of Operations, Department of State Services (DSS), also said that Nigeria is grossly under-policed given the United Nation’s benchmark. These comments, among others, are very disturbing.”

The body believes that instead of the government, the private sector should be the driving force in liberating and developing Africa, that government should provide the enabling environment for youths to exhibit their wisdom, talents and visions.

“Youths are leaving Africa because they find it difficult to be gainfully employed. Nigeria should also stand up to the true ideals of federalism and not be called the Federal Republic of Nigeria for nothing, he said.

“We call on the National Assembly to make laws that can create state police and local government police systems to run simultaneously or side by side with the Nigeria Police Force. We believe that the Nigerian police and the army are overwhelmed by the enormity of the banditry and terrorism plaguing our nation.