Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA), USA Chapter, has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari saying his regime practises archaic policing of 1960.

NIDOA’s letter said, “We urge you to take immediate action to move Nigeria swiftly in the direction of graduated level of jurisdictional policing authority predicated on community-police philosophy which the federal government sought to introduce since 2016.”

In the letter, jointly signed by its President, Eromonsele Idahosa and other association officials, NIDOA expressed concerns over the continued deterioration of insecurity in the country.

It further pointed out, “Experts have noted that Nigeria has not conducted a strategic analysis of its security systems and infrastructures since attainment of political independence in 1960.

“The result is that practices that even the British have jettisoned, such as a centralised police force under the command of an inspector general, remain entrenched in Nigeria.”

It stated that most advanced societies had police at the county, city, and state levels to effectively fight crime at the local level with local personnel and command structure.

NIDOA said the high unemployment rate was a ticking time bomb, urging the government to implement policies directly impacting job creation and entrepreneurship development.

The association assured Mr Buhari of continued support and constructive role in national development, saying it is mobilising the support of Nigerian-American owned/managed businesses and not-for-profit organisations.

“We are mobilising our members to invest in scholarships, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and career development opportunities for Nigerian youth; the Federal Government is welcome to collaborate with us in this respect.

“The diversity of Nigeria in religion and culture should not be viewed negatively but leveraged as a positive force for development, and the secularity of the Nigerian state should be protected,’’ NIDOA added.

It emphasised the need for Nigeria to adopt “a true federal constitution” before the 2023 elections, suggesting the 1963 Constitution and the report of the 2014 national conference as the basis.

The diaspora organisation advised the National Assembly to review previous reports and make fresh recommendations to develop a new constitution that reflects true federalism.

“We believe in the promise of a unified Nigeria where every citizen is treated with dignity and respect, justice and fair play,” the association pointed out.

NIDOA called for the devolution of power from the “over-bloated” exclusive list to the concurrent list to enable states to handle more constitutional responsibilities and unlock the nation’s potential.

(NAN)