The Delta House of Assembly speaker, Dennis Guwor, said on Monday that Nigeria was due for state policing.

Mr Guwor, while speaking with journalists in Asaba, said state policing should be done because ”the locals understand the security situation of their environment.”

He said it was high time all necessary amendments were made to enable the states to develop their policing structures.

Mr Guwor, also the national treasurer of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria, said the conference recently endorsed state policing.

”By the grace of God, I think the present National Assembly is very serious in terms of state policing issues.

”One of the fears people have about state policing is that they think the state governors will arbitrarily control the state police.

“But I think there is no need to fear whether the governors will control the state police against perceived political opponents,” he said.

Mr Guwor said Western nations like the United States have both state and federal police, with their duties well spelt out.

He said speakers had been relating with the National Assembly on how to support states to ensure there is no clash between the federal and state police.

”By the time it is passed, it will come to our own vetting at state houses of assembly, where 24 Houses of Assembly will adopt whatever amendment that was carried out by the National Assembly and pass it.

”So, at the Conference of Speakers, we see how we can rally around ourselves to support the idea of state policing,” he said.

Mr Guwor linked the recent hike in electricity tariffs to the increase in items and services brought about by high inflation.

He said the policy review was the government’s way of ensuring the people were best served.

”What I feel is that the federal government is increasing the tariff to enable it to meet the expectations of Nigerians,” he said.

However, he said the state government would ensure that the necessary measures were taken to make life easier for the residents. 

(NAN)