Osinbajo canvasses state police, true federalism

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday made a case for state police in the country.But he, however, advocated a “deep understanding” of the current restructuring agitation, according to a statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, in Abuja.

Akande, had in a statement on Sunday, quoted the Vice President as opposing the persistent calls for the nation’s restructuring during an interactive session at the Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin in Ondo State last week.

The comment, as expected, drew flaks from the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere and other pro-restructuring organisation but Akande claimed that there had been different interpretations, meanings and purposes to which the restructuring debate is being put to.

The spokesman explained that while the Vice President questions whether the allocation of more funds to the states would be helpful at this time of dwindling revenues, Osinbajo wholly supports the idea of having state police across the country as articulated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) “Roadmap to a New Nigeria.”

The Vice President noted that it was important Nigerians un derstood that the issue of restructuring should run deeper than some of the superficial and surface value focus.

According to him, some of the contentious issues include views calling for a return to regionalism, fiscal federalism, devolution of power, state police among others, adding that different interests were taking different contradictory approaches and thus reducing the debate to a mere political rhetoric.

“Restructuring debate should do deeper than what we see on newspaper headlines and we need to understand all the angles to it…What do people mean when we talk about restructuring? Some focus on regionalism, some focus on the fiscal part, allocation of more resources, devolution of power, state police…It’s important we understand which part we are talking about at any given time,” Osinbajo stated.He reassured of the commitment of the current administration to true federalism.