(NAN) The South West Conference of Speakers on Tuesday in Ibadan, called for multi-level policing architecture in Nigeria to address security challenges facing the country.
The speakers made the call shortly after visiting Gov. Seyi Makinde to commiserate with him on the Jan. 16 explosion that occurred at Bodija area of Ibadan.
Speaking with newsmen on behalf of others, Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly, Mr Olubunmi Adelugba, said the visit was part of their consultations with all the southwest governors.
According to Adelugba, the consultation is for the purpose of having regional integration and development and also to look into issues of insecurity, particularly in the southwest.
“It is time to have state police, by moving policing from exclusive list to concurrent list, whereby every state of the federation can take control of security situation in their respective states.
“It is also important for us in the southwest to have harmonised legislation, particularly in the area that we have common challenges and common issues,” he said.
Adelugba further hinted that the conference was looking at ways to harmonise legislation, “particularly in areas that the southwest states have common challenges and common issues.
“Southwest has always been a model and that will continue to be, so we are working on how to have Southwest Legislative Summit where all members of Houses of Assembly in the zone will come together.
“It is our belief that there’s nothing stopping us from having rail lines across the zone to drive down economy and bring about development,” Adelugba said.
On the explosion incident, the Ekiti speaker, on behalf of other speakers, commiserated with the governor, and the people of Oyo state on the sad occurrence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olamide Oladiji (Ondo); Adewale Egbedu (Osun), and Debo Ogundoyin (Oyo) speakers alongside their principal officers and other state lawmakers from Lagos and Ogun also attended the meeting with the governor.