THE Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo has promised to put the right architecture in place to tackle the issue of insecurity in Nigeria if elected in the 25th February poll.
Speaking at an interactive session with “The Compatriots”, on Friday 3rd February in Abuja, Prince Adebayo said that for instance in the Nigeria Police Force, his government would ensure that Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) manning police divisions across the country are made more accountable and given greater autonomy so that they can take decisive actions at their levels.
He noted that the Commissioner of Police should have all operational powers equivalent to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) at the state level so that all matters can end at the state level and not necessarily have to recourse to Abuja for every decision.
Prince Adebayo said, “One, even though we abolish the native authority, the DPOs in police divisions will be manned by officers who are senior enough so that at the level of the division, they can take decisive actions. There’s enough seniority there to take decisions over serious issues. A situation where DPOs must recourse to Area or state Command for every decision is antithetical to democratic practice.
“When it comes to the state, if the Constitution is not amended, we’ll see that except for staff duties, the Commissioner of Police should have all operational powers to the exclusion of the Inspector-General of Police, such that most, if not all, matters terminate at the state and they can relate better with the state”.
He noted that as Nigeria’s Commander-in-Chief, he would have a clear appreciation of the situation of the country in order to know how to address the issues at hand.
“The most important thing is that before you enter that office, you need a deep appreciation of the issues. So when you’re getting a briefing and you’re nodding your head, you know the one which is outright false, exaggerated and that which is correct.
“But if you go there and you are waiting for someone to tell you virtually everything, then there is a problem”.
He added that sometimes a different architecture may be needed to achieve a different result.
Prince Adewole further stated that his party will do everything to restore the primacy of the Armed Forces as it is at the core of the survival of the country. Because, according to him ” when the Armed Forces are in order, services will be in order”.
He pointed out that his administration will spearhead the devolution of authority in the police force.
Prince Adebayo also bared his mind on the judiciary. He urged the leadership of The Compatriots to advise the judiciary on appropriate steps so that politicians would allow the third arm of government an unfettered platform to serve the people.
Speaking on behalf of The Compatriots, Obong Victor Attah said the purpose of the meeting with the presidential candidates was to discuss how to get Nigeria to become a better nation, and as such the campaigns of candidates should reflect that.
“The Compatriots requested to meet with you, our top political leaders, to discuss the nation from a non-partisan perspective. Regardless of personal partisan preferences, we all want a better Nigeria.
“We believe that it is of mutual interest to your campaigns and our objectives that Nigerians understand that while there are differences of opinion on how to get Nigeria to become a better nation, there is alignment on what a successful nation looks like.
We believe that this private collaborative meeting will elevate the perception of Nigerians about our collective commitment to a better future for them”, he added.
The Compatriots is a group of well-meaning and eminent Nigerians, cutting across regional, ethnic, religious, ideological and political affiliations, who came together to midwife the initiative aimed at promoting national cohesion, good governance, peace and prosperity.
They promote a network of concerned Nigerians towards assisting in the improvement of governance at all levels as well as in the provision of social services.
Other presidential candidates present at the session were Datti Ahmed – Labour Party vice presidential candidate who represented Mr. Peter Obi; Mr. Kola Abiola People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and Boni Haruna who represented Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The members of the SDP presidential campaign team present included Khadijat Okunnu, Deputy APCO DG, Chief Godwin Osigbeme – Director of Protocol and Pst Ade Alabi.
Members of The Compatriot present include HE Obong Victor Attah – Chairman; Malam Hakeem Baba-Ahmed – Deputy Chairman; Prince Tom Iseghohi – Chief Operating Officer, Hajiya Inna Chiroma; Rev. Bitrus Dangiwa; Dr. Enyantu Ifene; General Zamani Lekwot (Rtd); General Saleh Maina (Rtd); Mrs. Nella Andem; Ewa Rabana (SAN) and Chief Simon Okeke.