Legal luminary, Femi Falana, has accused Nigerian politicians of paying lip service to restructuring, especially state governors, for giving up some of their constitutional duties to the federal government.

Appearing as the guest speaker at the 5th Comrade Yinka Odumakin Memorial Lecture on Thursday in Ikeja, Lagos State, on the topic, “Can Nigeria’s Democracy Work Without Restructuring?”, Mr Falana warned that if created, governors will misuse state police to retain power and silence political opponents.

Mr Falana said, “Somebody was formerly governor of Rivers, can you give him state police? You know what I’m talking about? Another one in Kaduna, declared the Nigeria Labour Congress president wanted for joining a strike. We had to rush to the National Industrial Court, which ruled that governors have no right to interfere in labour matters under this constitution. Somebody was a governor in Kogi, can you give him state police? You know what I mean? Currently, a governor has said, if you come to my state, we can’t guarantee your safety. You want to give state police to such a man?”

Mr Falana stated that although late President Muhammadu Buhari opposed restructuring, he carried out the most historic restructuring since 1999 by signing the bill from the National Assembly that electricity, prisons, and railways be removed from the exclusive list and transferred to the concurrent list.

The lawyer, however, queried, “I challenge you, has any state government in Nigeria, guaranteed electricity? Has any state created its own prisons? No. Has any state government established its own railways? No. Don’t be deceived, they only talk of restructuring when it suits their purpose. The National Assembly said we’re going to create state police, but the new Inspector-General of Police has asked for five years to allow the establishment of state police.”

Mr Falana recalled that in 1979, during a debate on a new constitution, an agreement against local police was made because it was abused, saying, “Those days, if you belong to the opposition, when you and your family are sleeping, a dead body will be dumped in your compound. The next morning, you’re arrested for murder, everyone will be taken away. Police men and women, pick up members of the opposition, detain them illegally.

“So, in 1979, they said never again….what do we do? We shall have a federal police, not federal government police. How will that police be managed? There shall be a Nigerian Police Council. Who are members of the police council? The president is the chairman, the IGP, the chairman of the police service commission, and the 36 state governors. So, in the meeting of that body, at any time, the governors can overrule the president.

“But that is the only federal executive body that does not meet. Inspite of the increasing state of insecurity in the country, that body does not meet. What are the duties of that body? To administer, organise, and supervise the Nigerian Police Force. I’m quoting the constitution. Now, only the president administers, organises, and supervises the Nigeria Police. In other words, the governors have abdicated their duties and handed over police powers to the President.

“If you had the crises in Plateau or anywhere, just like the president was summoning the meeting of defense and security council, he should be summoning the meeting of the Nigeria Police Council, because the governors are supposed to be closer to the people. Even without state police, some governors are using the federal police to kill opponents. Dr Ayo Daramola, Tunde Omojola, and Engineer Fashiba were killed by the killer squad of Governor Ayo Fayose. In many other states, that’s what’s going on. Many of you talking about state police, be very careful.

Mr Falana, who decried the arming of Amotekun with dane guns to confront terrorists using sophisticated weapons like AK-47s, wondered why an individual can ask for weapons to protect his family and it will be approved, but governors can’t go to Abuja to request licences to buy weapons for Amotekun to defend the people of their states.

He, therefore, advised governors who are genuine about the creation of state police to head to court if the FG rejects their application to be granted licences to acquire weapons for their local security outfits.

The event, annually marked in remembrance of the late activist, also had in attendance his wife, Joe Odumakin, who was the host; the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, who was the chairman of the occasion; NLC president Joe Ajaero, who was the guest of honour; activist and leader of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore; among others.