By Emeka Oraetoka
So far, former Inspectors General of Police (IGP), that this writer knows have spoken against State Police in the country. They seem to be given identical reasons on why State Policing should not be contemplated in Nigeria. But Sir Mike Okiro, retired IGP, and former Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), while opposing the introduction of State Police, appears to be the only former IGP that has introduced an interesting dimension to whole debate of Policing architecture suitable for Nigeria of today. Mike Okiro’s In-Between solution to ideal Policing Architecture, which he calls the Canadian Model of Policing, according to information available to this writer, had received Presidential attention before, but could not get to the starting point due to financial autonomy issue within the Police.
Sometime in 2013, Sir Mike Okiro wrote a position paper on why Nigeria should adopt Canadian Regional Policing model as a way of satisfying the agitation of the proponents of State Police, at the same time, not offending proponents of Federal Policing as it is now. Okiro calls it “Regional Policing Under Federal Policing”. Under this arrangement, Federal government will be responsible for the payment of Police salary, while State governments, under Regional umbrella, will equip the Police. According to Okiro’s paper, junior police offers will be recruited by states and deployed within their respective regions.
This is how how Sir Mike Okiro explained his principle of Regional Policing concept: –“But what I am advocating for is what is called the Canadian Model. In Canada, the provinces or the regions, you have the police officers posted there from the entire country but the equipment being used by the province or regions belong to the region. “For example, the equipment being used by police in Kaduna will be bought by the Governor of Kaduna State but the policemen will come from the North West (NW) and they will be paid by the Federal government. Same applies to Borno state. The Governor will equip the Police in the state, but the policemen will come from North East (NE).
Okiro further said, “What I am trying to advocate is a policing system where you have regional cooperation. Make it in such a way that the police officers are from that area. You can post someone from Enugu to Ebonyi or from Ebonyi to Anambra, that is transfers within the zone. “Why I say so is because, once they know the culture of the people, they can better Police the area. Secondly, the idea is that they are not far from their state of origin and so it becomes easier to operate, but it is still the federal government that is responsible for their salaries—“.
Ultimately, Okiro’s action plan will ensure regional cooperation as the Governors in a every region will come together to ensure efficient police operation. Since federal government will still be responsible for the salary of Policemen, incidents of State Governors owing Policemen salary will not be there. Also, state Governors will not use Police to intimidate their political opponents as was the case in Nigeria before.
What Sir Mike Okiro’s Policing architecture means is that the six (6) zones in Nigeria will now represent the Canadian provinces. This will not be difficult for the country to adopt as it does not even require constitutional amendment for the model to become operational. All that is needed here, according Okiro is for the President and Commander -In- Chief (C-in-C) of the Armed Forces, to give order to his IGP to put the Policing principle into operation.
Some security experts have asked Sir Mike Okiro how his In-Between solution model can come into operation without constitutional amendment. In answering the question, Okiro explained that Federal government did not amend the Constitution in creating the offices of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG). He said, Police simply created the offices. He argued that, in trying to make Police operation efficient, any invention introduced, automatically has the backing of law, as it will enhance the security of lives and property.
On the funding of this Regional Policing Under Federal Policing Architecture, Okiro advocated that the office of the IGP should make fund available to heads of Regional Police to run their respective regions. He appears to be saying that each zone in the country will to be headed by either DIG or AIG, and they should have financial autonomy to achieve the desired result. Under this arrangement, what is needed according to Okiro, is a clear directive from the President to IGP to make funds available to the Zonal Police Leaders. In any case, the President can increase budgetary allocation to Police, to take care of the Regional Policing reality.
This In-between solution would have taken off long ago were it not for what Okiro called, “a king will not like to rule a divided kingdom” syndrome that stalled its takeoff. As Sir Mike Okiro explained in an interview on TVC News, Politics Tonight on 5th of July, 2024, he said the then IGP backed out of the implementation of the Regional Policing Under Federal Policing arrangement when he realized that the expected Zonal Police heads will have financial autonomy as well.
There are many reasons to believe Okiro’s In-between Policing Architecture solution will bring proponents of State and Federal Policing together. For instance, the Governors within each region will collectively control police heads in their region. Instead of a Governor having control over a commissioner of police, to the point of using the Police against political opponents, the control of police will be vested in Zonal Governors’ Forum. By this arrangement, no Governor can abuse Police in his state. The fact that each state government will recruit Police personnel from its state, makes Okiro’s model a win, win solution.
Emeka Oraetoka,
Information/ Perception Management Consultant/ Researcher.
Wrote in from Abuja via: giltsdaimension@gmail.com.
GSM: 09039094636
Pix: Ex IGP Okiro
