By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The opposition parties’ summit scheduled to hold today in Ibadan, Oyo State, is under threat of disruption by operatives of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a senior opposition figure has alleged.

The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation in a statement issued on Saturday

According to Abdullahi, intelligence available to the opposition indicates that the APC has perfected plans to disrupt the ongoing summit, which is being hosted by coalition parties in Ibadan.

“We have uncovered plans by the ruling APC to disrupt the summit being held by the opposition parties in Ibadan, Oyo State, today, 25th of April,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC spokesperson recalled that opposition parties had earlier been denied access to venues in Abuja, forcing them to relocate to Ibadan. He accused the ruling party of hypocrisy, saying that while APC officials claim not to be frightened by opposition gatherings, their actions betray deep anxiety.

“After denying us the use of venues in Abuja, they now will not leave us alone to hold our meetings,” he added.

“They say they are not scared, but they are behaving like people who are terrified.”

Despite the alleged threat, Abdullahi vowed that the summit would continue as planned, insisting that the opposition remains on the right side of history and the Nigerian people.

“But we will not be deterred, because we are on the side of the Nigerian people,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, the APC leadership had not issued an official response to the allegation. Security agencies in Oyo State have also yet to comment on the claim or announce any additional deployments around the summit venue.

The summit, which brings together several opposition political parties, is expected to discuss strategies to present a united front ahead of future elections.

Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Former Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Citizenship and Leadership, Nasir Bala Ja’oji declares his intention to run for the position of member House of Representatives, from Tarauni federal constituency, Kano.

The event started from Gadar Lado, to local government party Secretariat, Farm Centre, to Ja’oji quarters, in a procession of thousands of supporters, party leaders ranging from chapters, wards and the constituency, Tarauni, alongside supporters and well wishers.

Ja’oji recently resigned his position as Presidential Aide, when thousands of supporters across Tarauni and other quarters from the state called and pressured him to run for the position.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, he assured that, “This ambition is not borne out of mere ambition, but from deep sense of responsibility, commitment and consistent engagement with the people and the ideals of our great party.”

Emphasizing that, “Over the past few years, I have remained steadfast in my loyalty and contributions to the growth, unity and electoral successes of our party at various levels.”

Stating why he is fit for the position he challenged that, his experience serving as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, has further shaped his understanding of governance, nation building and inclusive leadership.

Adding that, “In that capacity, I contributed initiatives aimed at promoting civic responsibility, youth engagement, and leadership development across the country.”

Being the most outstanding politician in Tarauni federal constituency, who invested so much in youth development, women inclusion in politics and governance, through large scales empowerment programmes, Ja’oji attracted the attention of so many youth and women during the intent declaration gathering.

Participation of people across party lines, was one of the issues that attracted many observers during the event.

End

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Steering Committee on the Establishment of State Police, set up by the inspector general of police, Olatunji Disu, has recommended a four-phase architecture transition.

The recommendation, among others, is contained in the steering committee’s report seen on Friday.

The committee, led by Olu Ogunsakin, the director-general of the National Institute of Police Studies, was inaugurated by Mr Disu on March 4.

The eight-man team was tasked with creating an operational framework for state police within one month.

The committee is also to oversee the implementation of state-level policing to complement the federal force to address rising national security concerns.

It is also expected to propose frameworks for recruitment, training, and resource generation to strengthen internal security.

Outlining the four-phase architecture implementation roadmap, the committee explained that phase one (months 1-12) was for legal procedures, including constitution amendment and the enactment of the State Police Act.

The second phase (months 13-24) will be for transfer. In phase three (months 25 to 42), operations commence as state police take over local policing, and the federal police service pulls back to a national mandate. Phase four (months 43-60) is for consolidation as FPS is fully reorganised.

The committee also noted that constitutional and legal architecture must precede everything.

According to the report, phase one requires constitutional amendments to sections 213 and 215 of the 1999 constitution, the enactment of a State Police Act by the National Assembly, and the passage of the State Police Laws in all 36 states and the FCT.

“It also requires the establishment of State Police Service Commissions and Ombudsman offices in every state,” the committee explained.

The committee also recommended building institutions from scratch in all 36 states and recruiting and training new state police officers.

“Each state will be required to establish, from the ground up, a fully functional State Police service, including a service commission, an ombudsman office, community policing forums at the local government level, ICT infrastructure, custody suites and forensic linkages.

“The National Police Standard Board (NPSB) must also be constituted, staffed, and made operational with inspection capacity across six zonal offices,” said the report.

The committee recommended an establishment cost of N589 billion to N813 billion, phased over five years, “precisely because it cannot be absorbed in a shorter period”.

The committee further said that each state police service must recruit and train an entirely new cadre of officers in parallel with receiving FPS transfers. It, however, explained that the first cohort of state police recruits would only be enrolled in phase two (months 13 to 24), and their deployment would not begin until phase three (months 25 to 42).

“A mandatory 40-hour CPD programme for all officers must be embedded. This training pipeline alone spans over three years,” the report said.

The report also stressed the importance of a National Police Intelligence Portal, a national criminal records system, an upgrade to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and full ICT integration across all 36 state police services and the FPS.

It is estimated that the cost for national ICT systems alone was N65 billion to N95 billion, adding that full integration across all services would only be completed in phase four (months 43 to 60).

The committee further said that protection of officer rights must be guaranteed, as no officer must be involuntarily dismissed, and that accrued pension and welfare rights must be fully protected.

The report added that the 60-month (four-phase) transition was the minimum operationally credible timeframe for restructuring the country’s policing architecture.

It said it would give enough time to move 273,648 officers, build 37 new police services, amend the constitution, and pass legislation at the federal and state levels.

It will also create time for the construction of ICT and physical infrastructure, embed an oversight architecture, and protect officers’ welfare while maintaining uninterrupted public security.