The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has urged President
Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to repeal Section 4(1) of the
Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019.
The PDP governors made the call in a communique by the forum on
Wednesday in Abuja.
It was issued after the forum’s meeting by its Chairman and Governor of
Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.
Tambuwal said that the section which authorises the president to deduct
0.5 percent of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for
the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund should be repealed.
He said that the deduction, according to the governors, was patently
unconstitutional.
“The beneficiaries of the Federation Account are the federal, states and
local governments only.
“More creative funding options should be explored,” Tambuwal said.
He said that the meeting also noted the signing of the New Nigeria
Police Act, 2020 by Mr President.
Tambuwal said that the forum acknowledged the many important innovations
in the new law.
He said that the forum, however, emphasised the need to make the Nigeria
Police Council, which has Mr. President as Chairman and 36 state
Governors as members, fully operational.
The council should be made the clearinghouse on all issues bordering on
the organisation and administration of the Nigeria Police Force as
enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, he said.
“The Forum further observed the discrepancies in S.12(2) and S.12(4) of
the Act on the appropriate authority with responsibility to deploy
Police Commissioners to the respective States.
“Whereas S.12(2) gives the responsibility to the Police Service
Commission, S. 12(4) gives either the Police Service Commission or
Inspector-General of Police the same responsibility.
“This is even more regrettable as the Constitution gives this
responsibility to the Police Service Commission (S. 215)(1)(b).
“We advise that the constitutional provision be upheld.
“Furthermore, the Forum canvassed for appropriate consultations with the
Governors of various States on the deployment of Police Commissioners to
the States since the Police is a common institution that executes the
laws of both the Federal and State governments”.
The PDP governors, according to Tambuwal also expressed worries at the
controversy surrounding the Water Resources Bill, 2020, and the stepping
down of the Bill in the House of Representatives.
He called for further consultations and public engagement in the
processing of the Bill.
Tambuwal said that the forum had referred the Water Resource Bill to the
bodies of Attorney Generals of PDP State governments for advice.
The zoom meeting, according to Tambuwal, was also attended by Governors
of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, Oyo
and Zamfara States.(NAN)