Reps will do everything to deliver policing system that works —Gbajabiamila

The House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured that the lawmakers would do everything to deliver a policing system that works for all Nigerians.

Gbajabiamila’s assurance came on the heels of the recent EndSARS protest, where Nigerian youths demanded for an end to police brutality and extra-judicial killings of citizens.

According to a statement by the Speaker’s media aide, Lanre Lasisi, he spoke while addressing stakeholders at the 9th House Legislative Agenda Public Policy Dialogue Series with the theme ‘Policing and human rights in Nigeria.’

“Our reform objectives include wholesale reviews of police recruitment and training procedures and practices.

“It also includes an obligation to drastically and rapidly improve the welfare and wellbeing of police officers from recruitment through to retirement.

“As we expect more from the men and women who carry arms and take risks to protect us, we must also be ready to do right by them, and by their families. They too are our citizens; they are our brothers and sisters deserving of the best that our nation can offer.

“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.

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“We will talk, we will engage, we will change laws, and we will amend the Constitution subject to the consensus of the Nigerian people. We will do everything that we have the power to do so that when the account of this moment is given, we will be counted for making the right choices and doing justice by our people,” Gbajabiamila said.

He maintained that the issue of police reform remained one of the fundamental commitments of the 9th House since its inauguration.

The Speaker, therefore, urged all well-meaning Nigerians to make their inputs toward the enactment of the Police Service Commission (Reform) Bill, 2020.

Speaking at the event, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, who was represented by the DIG research and planning, Adeleye Olusola, asked to be given time to dissect the bill before coming up with a sound position.

On its part, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), which is one of the bodies working with the House on the bill, said it was making serious efforts to re-energize relevant bodies of the NBA to face issues of human rights violations squarely.

The NBA president, Olumide Akpata who disclosed this at the event said, “This is one collaboration that we’re proud of. The issues that confront our country and the Nigeria Police are issues that predate most of us. With regards to human rights violations, I think it’s a matter of orientation. In the proposed law, the issue of orientation is being addressed.”

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