Osinbajo responds to critics, advocates for state policing and true federalism

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has revealed his support for state policing in the country even as he advocated a “deep understanding” of the current restructuring agitation.

This was revealed in a statement released by his spokesman, Laolu Akande in Abuja yesterday.

During an interactive session at the Elizade University, in Ondo State last week, Akande had in a statement quoted the Vice President as opposing the persistent calls for the nation’s restructuring.

The comment drew criticisms from the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere and other pro-restructuring organisation.

Reacting to the criticisms however, Akande claimed that there had been different interpretations, meanings and purposes to which the restructuring debate is being put to.

The spokesman explained that Osinbajo wholly supports the idea of having state police across the country as articulated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) “Roadmap to a New Nigeria”, but questions whether the allocation of more funds to the states would be helpful at this time of dwindling revenues.

According to him, some of the contentious issues include views calling for a return to regionalism, fiscal federalism, devolution of power, state police among others, adding that different interests were taking different contradictory approaches and thus reducing the debate to a mere political rhetoric.

“Restructuring debate should do deeper than what we see on newspaper headlines and we need to understand all the angles to it…What do people mean when we talk about restructuring? Some focus on regionalism, some focus on the fiscal part, allocation of more resources, devolution of power, state police…It’s important we understand which part we are talking about at any given time,” Osinbajo stated.

 

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