This week, the Senate has promised to hold urgent talks on the establishment of state police in a bid to tackle the rising insecurity in the country.
The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said the subject has become a priority among other matters in the ongoing process of constitutional revision. Bamidele revealed this while speaking to Senate journalists during a media conference.
He said the upper chamber is dedicated to supporting the desire of Nigerians for state policing and has already had a series of talks with relevant stakeholders, reports Channels TV.
We stand with Nigerians on State Police. This will be realised during plenary this week.
‘We have been holding a number of discussions with stakeholders and we will fast-track considerations so that the measure may continue to the 36 state houses of assembly and eventually gain presidential assent,’ he said.
The Senate Leader also branded the present calls for an inquiry of the military as disloyal, stating that such a move would be a misplacement of priorities given the country’s present security concerns.
On the row over lawmakers’ pay he said that the Senate will soon respond to public concerns by guaranteeing that information on senators’ salaries and allowances as well as those of ministers and other public office holders be made public.
He made the comments in response to recent court statements that apparently termed the purchase of 110 billion SUVs and allowance system for MPs as unconstitutional.
The Senate Leader, in defending the acquisition, once again insisted that the vehicles were meant to assist in constituency engagements and other official assignments.
“We assign every vehicle to us for constituency work and other official assignments. Such allowances are available to public officials. “It is not strange or peculiar to lawmakers in Nigeria,” the senator remarked.
He said the Senate was not surprised by the criticism, noting that dissent and antagonism are typically part of the monitoring responsibilities of the legislature.
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