By Mercy Aikoye
The Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Hon. Henry Nwawuba, has challenged the National Assembly to move beyond expressions of sympathy for victims of insecurity and take concrete legislative measures to address the country’s security challenges.
Nwawuba said Parliament had a responsibility to develop innovative policies and legislation capable of responding to the changing nature of insecurity across the country.
He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2nd Annual Distinguished Parliamentarian Lecture organised by the House of Representatives Press Corps, where he was honoured with the Icon of Legislative Research award.
The lecture, themed, “Imperative of State Police: Securing Communities, Strengthening Federalism,” provided a platform for discussion on the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system.
Nwawuba, a former member of the House of Representatives, said the establishment of state police presented an opportunity for lawmakers to explore alternative approaches to tackling insecurity and making policing more responsive to local realities.
Recalling his tenure as Chairman of the House Committee on Monitoring of the Legislative Agenda, he said the committee had examined challenges within the nation’s security architecture, including overlapping mandates among security agencies and the need to improve policing.
He said some of the issues were considered within the context of constitutional amendment and emerging legislative proposals on state police.
According to him, the legislature must remain an engine room for policy innovation, particularly when existing approaches are unable to adequately address emerging national challenges.
“We can’t keep saying our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of insecurity and we call ourselves legislators. We will get tired. After a while it becomes shameful. Is it that there is nothing we can do?” he asked.
Nwawuba said state police could provide a policing structure better suited to the peculiar security needs of different regions, noting that other countries had adopted similar models.
He acknowledged concerns over the proposed system, particularly the question of funding, but argued that such challenges could be addressed through appropriate safeguards and institutional arrangements.
“I do appreciate the concerns that some people have raised but for me as long as we can take care of the issue of funding, I think we should give it a try because insanity is when you keep doing the same thing and think the situation will change,” he said.
The former lawmaker said the changing security situation required Parliament to reassess existing policies and develop laws that reflected the realities confronting Nigerians.
He maintained that legislation must ultimately serve the interests of the people, stressing that laws that failed to address citizens’ needs could not be considered effective.
“We have an emerging situation on our hands when it comes to insecurity so the parliament must respond and that is what the parliament is for. Any law that does not serve the people is a bad law,” he said.
