Southern governors comprising seventeen states in the South-south, South-west and South-east region have called for the creation of state police in the country.
The governors said the call is sequel to the successes recorded by community-based regional security outfits that have significantly helped intelligence gathering, thus enabling governors to be truly chief security officers of their respective states.
This, amongst others formed part of the communiqué issued at the end of the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) meeting held at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
The forum also lauded the economic recovery policies, and the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while affirming its resolve to reposition the country.
“Southern governors resolved to continue to advocate for the creation of state police against the success of community-based regional security outfits that have significantly helped intelligence gathering. It is believed that this will enable governors to be chief security officers indeed.
“The forum, still on fiscal federalism, discussed the issue of solid mineral exploration and exploitation which today remains on the exclusive list in the constitution. Member governors expressed concern over current practices where minerals licenses are issued, and exploitations are undertaken without recourse to state governments.
“These continue to be carried out often attracting criminal activities and attendant negative environmental impact, ecological degradation with no remediation commitments, and no revenue accruing to both states and the federal government.
“The forum commended the laudable economic recovery reforms and policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda. The forum unanimously reaffirmed their support for him in his unwavering resolve to reposition the country and build a great future for all of us.
“The governors applauded the president for conceptualising and commencing the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, which cuts across eight states. The forum noted that this laudable project will create employment in the construction industry ecosystem, boost productivity by drastically reducing travel time, promote tourism, and open up and integrate all the Southern states to more investment opportunities.
“The governors advocated that the federal government should rehabilitate, repair, and reconstruct Trunk A roads and transfer roads to states that have expressed interest in taking them over.
