Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation over issues relating to insecurity and rising sectional agitations across the country.
The House also said it was standing by the decisions reached by the southern governors at their recent meeting in Asaba, Delta State.
Calling the attention of his colleagues to the communique released by the governors after the meeting, the Deputy Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, noted that the Lagos Assembly had always called for the establishment of state police.
Adams urged his colleagues to support the governors saying the latter had shown that they are alive to their responsibilities. Adams, however, urged the governors to start restructuring in their states by implementing autonomy for state legislatures and judiciary.
He recalled how the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, as chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, led his colleagues to the president to seek autonomy for state legislatures and judiciary.
He lamented that the governors had yet to implement it. Obasa, who presided over the sitting, commended the governors for coming out at a period when insecurity had taken the ‘front seat’ of discussions. He also commended some members of the National Assembly for supporting the governors.
He lamented the rise in the number of groups agitating for secession adding that Nigeria can be restructured if there is the willpower. “People are getting tired of the call for constitutional conference because nothing had happened to previous ones,” he said adding that Nigeria needs true federalism at this stage.
“It was disheartening to know that two neighbouring states like Ogun and Lagos cannot unite to meet some of the needs of the people simply because such could be on the exclusive list. Also, Kehinde Joseph suggested that the National Assembly needed to amend the Act establishing the Nigeria Police Force for the creation of state police.
His counterpart, Sentonji David, said, the President urgently needs to act against insecurity. “This is the time for us to have a restructured country,” he said. The leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade added:
“A country cannot be drifting this way and the President is quiet. The President must address this country and assuage nerves. “The National Assembly should come up with a bill to address the issue of state police. The bandits are multiplying like an amoeba.” The lawmaker representing Epe, Abiodun Tobun noted:
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“Cattle rearing is a private business. So it is supposed that you cannot use your business to stop my progress or movement. “If truly we are practising true federalism, then each state should be allowed to secure its area.”
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