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Speakers of the 36 states Houses of Assembly have made a case for the establishment of state police to tackle insecurity in the country.

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They want the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the concept of state police and community policing.

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This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the second quarter general meeting of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria held in Asaba, Delta State.

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Signed by the chairman of the conference and Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, the communiqué commended the Federal Government’s in fighting insecurity.

Commending governors who have commenced the implementation of financial autonomy in their states, the conference urged other governors to follow suit as agreed in the Memorandum of Action signed by all the stakeholders.

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In his remarks, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa urged Nigerians not to compromise the country’s unity as its strength lay in citizens’ collective bond.

He said the country was facing challenges that required leaders to preach hope to the people and ensure the unity of the nation was not breached.

He stated that there was need for dialogue on how to ensure fairness and equity in the governance of the country.

“In very trying times such as this, we must ensure that we continue to give hope to our people and that we continue to do the very little that we can even in our various constituencies because a little hope can encourage those who would have felt helpless.

“We need to continue to pray for our country, Nigeria and we need to realise that the unity of this country is important to us all and that everything that ought to be done we will continue to stay focused in doing those things that will keep this country united.

“But, I also believe that for everyone of us in government, as we continue to preach unity, we must be sincere about it; we must ensure that there is fairness and equity and we must stay committed to the original principles that brought us together.

“We are one people in this country and I believe that the strength of Nigeria lies in our collective responsibility because in that truly lies our strength.

“There are so many things that ought to be discussed, but we are not discussing yet; there is a need for a true dialogue even when people tend to misconstrue it when we speak about dialogue.

“It’s not about coming to quarrel, it’s about protecting the inside of us so that we can become greater brothers for the future and I think that it’s important we understand that when we speak that it’s not about division but about unity.

“It’s about how we can begin to love ourselves and about how we can become more participatory in the totality of the governance of this nation and it is in the best interest of this nation,” he said.

The governor remarked that Nigerians loved the country and we wished to remain united, and advised that the things that will make us stronger, “we need to discuss them so that we can stay together and build a nation  that our children can be proud of.

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com