The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, says true federalism is what Nigeria needs to resolve the lingering security challenges in the country.
Obasa stated this at the 2022 National Congress and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Psychological Association (NPA) at the Lagos State University (LASU) on Wednesday.
The Speaker advocated the adoption of the principle of true federalism as canvassed by the Niger Delta and other groups, stressing that it would guarantee genuine political autonomy and the right to control resources.
He also urged the Federal Government to muster the political will to implement the recommendations of different panels and committees that had investigated remote and immediate causes of insecurity in the country.
“In a similar vein, the Federal Government should muster the political will to carry out the recommendations of the numerous panels and committees set up to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the crises.”
Obasa, who was awarded the Honourary Fellow of the academic body, lamented that insecurity had continued in spite of the federal government’s deployment of financial and other resources to fight it.
Obasa, who was represented by Mr Victor Akande, Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, also advocated sincere national mediation, negotiation, arbitration, reconciliation and broad amnesty as modern conflict resolution strategies where necessary.
Speaking on ”Security and National Sustainability”, he described Lagos State as a model, owing largely to the proactive efforts of all the tiers of government in the state.
“Here in Lagos State, we have taken preventive steps to ensure that law and order do not collapse for no good reason.
“We established the Neighbourhood Safety Corps because we are aware of the critical need for quick response from local security officers at the grassroots level.
“The state government’s efforts, led by the Neighbourhood Safety Corps and aided by other security officers on the ground, have made Lagos a secure place to live for everyone.
“There is, however, reason to believe that the federal government will support the same objective by establishing a state police force and community preventative policing,” he said.
Obasa also suggested that all three tiers of government should work to significantly cut government spending on administration.
According to him, this is crucial in order to see progress in the real sectors of the nation’s economy.
He attributed insecurity to a number of factors, including the country’s inheritance of a faulty security structure and the failure of successive governments to effectively restructure the system.
Beyond impacting knowledge, the speaker urged tertiary institutions to be interested in the affairs of the nation as part of their contributions to the sustenance of national progress.
Earlier in his address, Prof. Olukayode Afolabi, President, NPA, lamented the security situation of the country, saying it affected every facet of Nigeria’s development and was forcing investors away.
Among other suggestions, he said there was an urgent need to bring psychologists into the recruitment and development processes of security personnel.
Also, Prof. Adenike Boyo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of LASU who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, expressed hope that the five-day conference would add value to Nigeria’s development.