Abuja: A Civil society organisation (CSO), Open Alliance has called for a transparent, accountable, and citizen-focused approach to the ongoing debate on state policing in Nigeria. Mr Andrew Oaikhena, Stakeholder Manager at BudgIT, made the call while delivering the welcome remarks on behalf of Open Alliance at a stakeholders’ dialogue on state policing on Wednesday in Abuja. Oaikhena warned that decentralising policing without proper safeguards could deepen existing governance challenges.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the dialogue was convened to encourage inclusive and evidence-based discussions on the future of policing in Nigeria. Oaikhena emphasized that the engagement was not aimed at promoting predetermined conclusions but rather at creating a platform where diverse opinions from security experts could be heard. He stressed that meaningful reform must be rooted in dialogue, accountability, and citizen participation. He also noted that security should not be viewed solely as a government responsibility but as a collective national concern requiring collaboration and trust between citizens and institutions.
Mr Odeh Friday, the Country Director of Accountability Lab, linked the state policing debate to broader concerns around governance, transparency, and public accountability in Nigeria. He argued that the debate over state policing should go beyond control and focus more on transparency, oversight, and institutional trust. Friday warned that decentralising policing without decentralising accountability simply moves the problem from one level of government to another. He cautioned that state policing without independent oversight risks deepening political interference and increasing abuse.
In a keynote address on Devolution of Policing in Nigeria: Reform Options, Mr Tosin Osasona, the Security and Justice Sector Governance Professional, urged the National Assembly to design a framework embedding conditionally into decentralisation. He urged state governments to set fiscal benchmarks, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) thresholds, and wage sustainability of the Public Finance Management transparency.