Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has said that the country appears not ready to stem the tide of insecurity or rebuild the economy through decentralization or devolution of power.

This was even as he reiterated that decentralised policing remained the way out of the mounting security challenges in the country.

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Committee on Electoral Act and Constitutional Amendment also noted that with the requisite political will, Nigeria could successfully amend the 1999 Constitution in 10 days to accommodate the needed legal framework for state police.

Ekweremadu, who chaired the Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment in the 6th, 7th, and 8th National Assembly, listed numerous successful electoral reforms and constitution amendments recorded under successive PDP administrations and enjoined the All Progressives Congress-led administration to take the bull by the horns by building on those successful efforts.

The ex-Deputy Senate President spoke during the inauguration of the PDP Committee on Electoral Act and Constitution Amendment on Thursday evening, according to a statement issued by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, in Abuja.

He regretted that the security of lives and property had totally collapsed and called for urgent steps to pull the nation back from the brinks.

“The weaknesses in our structure and the constitution we operate have never been as pronounced as they are today.

“I must also add that it is unfortunate that the rain, which some of us shouted on top of our voices, forewarning the nation against and even proposed policies and sponsored bills to avert, is now beating us heavily.

“I rallied my colleagues and together we sponsored the Bill for the Creation of State Police in the 8th National Assembly.

“I am equally sponsoring a Bill for the Creation of State Police in the current Senate.

“Unfortunately, we do not appear ready yet or show a sense of urgency to stem the tide of insecurity or rebuild our economy through the decentralisation or devolution of power.

With the right political will, the amendments to the Constitution to achieve a decentralised police and secure lives and property can be achieved 10 days.

“So long as we run a dysfunctional centralised policing, for that long will our insecurity-induced pains and losses continue to rise.

“The community policing initiative is illusory, cosmetic, ephemeral, inorganic, and will certainly not change anything.

“It is either we do the right things to get the right results or continue to do the wrong things and live with the consequences of our choices, as is presently the case.

“We must also have it at the back of our minds that things will probably get worse.

“Therefore, I call on our party faithful, the media, the civil society and well meaning Nigerians, to put narrow political, partisan, ethnic, religious, and sectional interest aside, and seize the opportunity of the ongoing constitution amendment exercise to immediately pull our nation back from the brinks.”

culled from THE NATION