The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the House of Representatives will do everything to deliver an inclusive policing system for the Nigerian masses.
The speaker disclosed this on Tuesday at the Public Policy Dialogue on “Policing/Human Rights in Nigeria” organized by the House Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of the Legislative Agenda and held in Abuja.
#RepsPoliceReformDialogue
Remarks by the Speaker of the @HouseNGR, Rep.@femigbaja at the Public Policy Dialogue on “Policing/Human Rights in Nigeria” organized by the House Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of the Legislative Agenda of the 9th House of Representatives. pic.twitter.com/XvmQGobJJj— Speaker of the House of Representatives (@SpeakerGbaja) November 18, 2020
What you should know
Nairametrics reported last month that the HoR Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, vowed not to sign off the 2021 Appropriation Bill presently before the National Assembly if adequate provisions were not made for the compensation of the families of the victims of police brutality and meeting the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
(READ MORE:#EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu presents Buhari report on Lagos destruction by hoodlums)
While speaking at the public dialogue, Gbajabiamila said, “We recognize that the policing function is at the very heart of any fully functioning State. It is through the institution, mechanisms and resources of policing, that the State can protect the welfare and wellbeing of its citizens.
“Without the ability to offer this protection, the State loses legitimacy and the authority that flows from there. A society that cannot effectively Police itself ceases to exist, and a government that fails to protect its citizens has lost the right to continue in office.”
READ: #EndSARS: Families of slain policemen to be part of N500 million victims fund – Gov. Makinde
He added that effective policing can only be achieved through accountability and compliance with the rule of law and that the Police cannot be effective when structures to hold them accountable are weak.
“Effective policing is only possible when the policing institutions are grounded in the rule of law, when they are accountable and when the justice system in its entirety is fair to all who have cause to appear before it.
READ: DPR shuts down 85 gas plants in Lagos for illegal operations
“We can not have an effective policing system when the citizens do not have faith that the Police will treat them fairly every time, no matter the circumstance.
“The Police cannot be effective when the mechanisms for accountability and discipline are too weak to identify, remove, and prosecute rogue officers as a matter of course.
READ: DPR shuts down 85 gas plants in Lagos for illegal operations
“I want to assure all of you in this room, all of you who are watching today from wherever you are, the 9th House of Representatives will do everything we can to deliver for the Nigerian people, a policing system that works for every citizen.”