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Community Policing: Fayemi Advocates Police Reform
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has reiterated call for a reform in the Nigeria Police that will ensure purposeful community policing.
Fayemi stated this yesterday in Ado- Ekiti at the end of a stakeholders’ forum on community policing.
The forum featured heads of security agencies, public servants, politicians, civil society organisations, youth and women organisations, among others.
The governor, represented by the State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale Fapohunda, said that the establishment of a police ombudsman to receive and address citizens’ complaints and address cases of abuse against police officers had become necessary.
Fayemi stated that community policing would be cardinal to addressing security challenges in the country.
He observed that a wide range of recommendations made at different conferences on how the Nigeria Police could be reformed in the past had not received enough attention.
The governor also called on the Ministry of Police Affairs to engage a reputable audit firm to undertake an audit of the salaries, the wages, allowances of police officers, including manpower and equipment available to the police.
He warned that a police with poor condition of service that was struggling to survive could not deliver the purpose of community policing.
“A large number of our people still don’t see police as their friends. So, it seems to me that an important way we can get that trust is through police reform.
“We cannot simply hope to achieve the intent of community policing without police reforms.
“The Federal Government should take seriously the reports of the judicial panel of inquiry that has been set up in the aftermath of the #ENDSARS protests.
“There are many high level reports on police reforms, including two constitutional conferences.
“The tragedy is that the recommendations of the committee and that of constitutional conference had largely been left unattended to.
“We need to look at those reports, bring them back to life and base on those reports agreed on an actionable agenda that is time bound for the use of the country as a whole and for the enhancement of police reforms.
“We absolutely need to revisit the conditions of service of police officers, the situation of police barracks, the situation of police stations and all the allowances entitled to the police.
“There has been too much theory about the need to improve the conditions of service of police because an unhappy police force cannot deliver community policing, which is crucial,” he said.
In his presentation, former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, said that tackling security challenges solely from the angle of security personnel had shifted to community stakeholders.
According to him, the stakeholders can now play vital roles in providing intelligence that will assist the security agencies to perform optimally.
Ehindero noted that such approach of community policing was what assisted in the rescue of the abducted Kankara secondary school students in Katsina State.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 17 comprising Ekiti and Ondo State, Mr David Folawiyo, called on the stakeholders to take ownership of community policing.
He said that the inspector-general of police was committed to making constabularies who were nominated by their community to serve in their locality.
In attendance at the forum were the Deputy Governor of Ekiti, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, Secretary to the State Government Biodun Oyebanji, Head of Service in the state, Mrs Peju Babafemi and the state Chief of Staff Biodun Omoleye, among others.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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