 Insecurity and the urgent need for police reform in Nigeria. It is an understatement to say that the state of insecurity in our nation is disturbing. Almost everyone knows someone who was recently robbed, kidnapped or killed. The most fundamental term of our social contrast is security of life and property. Sadly, that can no longer be guaranteed in Nigeria and things are getting worse. There is a complete state of war in the north east. Kidnapping and banditry everywhere else. The unending and ever-increasing pharmaceutical crisis. Armed robbery, the list is endless. A report by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa states that the number of small arms in the hands of civilian non-state actors nationwide is estimated at 6,145,000. Once that of the armed forces and law enforcement agency collectively is about 586,600 firearms. Representing about 8.71% of the total arms and firearms in circulation. This is antithetical to Masweba's view that only states should lay claim to the monopoly of legitimate physical violence within a certain territory. In our case, the people with access to resources to cause violence are in the frightening majority. It cannot be over-emphasized that our security system is in a sorry state. That is also the state of our police. A VC20 police division and police barracks will convince you. Currently our police lack the requisite support, adequate remuneration, equipment and training to effectively carry out this enormous task. Prior to the NSAS protest, a police recruit ends 9,000 naira per month. This is a violation of the minimum wage act. The basic salary of a commissioner of police is about 260,000 per month and the copper ends 51,000 naira per month. And we wonder where our problems are emanated from. Well, I will suggest some reforms and you can add yours. Restructured in Nigerian police force strengthen local police force and induce constitutional amendment to allow state government to establish state or community police for the purpose of crime prevention, detection and prosecution within the jurisdictions. The welfare of the Nigerian police should be immediately addressed by ensuring better conditions of service, better remuneration, housing and other benefits. I personally will suggest 200,000 naira per month for an entry level officer. Some level of free education should be considered for policemen and women's children. Earth insurance schemes, life insurance, house mortgage schemes amongst others. Entry level recruitment should not be below O&D and to ensure that police training meets international standards. The length of training should not be less than 18 months. Also, there should be provisions for continuous human capacity development for the Nigerian police to close the ski gaps amongst the personnel. There is a need for a period of psychological evaluation for every police person during recruitment and throughout their service years. The government needs to provide modern equipment to combat crimes and design a system for equipment financing for the police on an ongoing basis and ensure deployment of technology for crime detection, investigation and prevention. Develop an anti-corruption enforcement framework for the Nigerian police force to tackle issues of commercialization of bill, the nuisance of roadblocks, the unseasoned harassment amongst others. Only a safe environment will guarantee economic development and good life that we all desire. We must reform the Nigerian police and we need to do so now. Very interesting, the numbers which we've raised. I totally agree with the reforms. Asking for 200,000 at entry level is also workable. It will just take us to also check the earning capacity of the country and the distribution capacity. Are we going to talk about the news of the 60 billion that has to be printed to get money into the system? But if we can get it right, I think we will have the police force that we seek. Well, I think I substantially agree with Francis. I mean, it couldn't have been even better put. Of course, by the constitution, section 14, subsection 2B is very clear that the security and the welfare of the people, of course, is at the heart of the social contract between the citizens and the government. And when that is broken, then you have a recipe for anarchy. And it's not surprising that there's a relationship between the breakdown of security at large and the wobbly state of the Nigeria state in terms of economy and what have you. Because if we have a strong security infrastructure to a large extent, we wouldn't have the rising spate of kidnappings, insurgency in the South East and all of that. All of these aggregate to create a shock for the system, you understand. So if we had a better security system in place, we wouldn't have the right to upsurge in insurgency. The monies we were spending funding the insurgency was would have committed it to other development aspects of the nation. So, security is actually instructive and we really have to get it right. And I agree with most of our recommendations. As a matter of fact, after the, in the wake of the NSAS protests, I was privileged to work with the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives. And the question was how do we, what can we do to create the good framework that will improve the current police structure we have. There is none. In terms of the welfare of the rank and fire, you understand. So we looked at the Police Service Commission Act which was passed in 2000. So we have redrafted it and we have made, I am very surprised that all your recommendations actually form part of what you recommended in that view. And I am happy to announce that it has passed second reading on the floor of both House of National Assembly and we are hopeful that if it eventually gets signed into law, these things can begin to be addressed. But certainly we can't compromise security. Comfort, let's hear your view. Yes, thank you. Not taking away from what you said. What defunders me is the fact that we have to say this all the time. This is not the first time that people have put this clearly. I mean, if you had even just stopped at the need for police reforms, you would have, I mean, you would have been 100% without even breaking it down because without breaking it down, can't they see, can't the government see that this is what is needed? I mean, if you are going to take the history of even insurgency, we are talking about at least 10 years. You mean in those 10 years, nobody thought it fits that the National Assembly, the government itself should have taken this without us every single opportunity we get laying it out. So yes, I mean, fantastic and all that. I'm happy to hear what you said that you were part of a committee and that finally they have seen the need to put. I mean, I'm not impressed because I mean, I'm really not impressed unless we need to have a bill to remind them every time that please, when you see things going wrong, can you put yourself into our shoes and please make sure that these things go ahead. So anyway, kudos anyway, at least for what it is worth, hope alive. There's something, I just pray that the people who are there are human beings so that they will be able to implement these things because this is so long overdue. The statistics, I mean, it's shocking, it's appalling. We shouldn't even be something that should be printed for us to see because I mean, I mean, that's all I have to say to be honest. It's annoying. I was going to, you know, in recent times, we've seen regional, you know, the debate on state police has always been with us at least since the Fourth Republic. And it appears we are perforce, we are inching towards state police, even though not in a clear legal sense of it, you understand. We saw the southwestern states, they have come up with the amotecum. If you ask me, that is regional police, that is state police. Even if maybe we call it de facto, de facto state police play. Now, because of what's happened in southeast, we now have the Ibibago, the glory of the tiger in play, you understand. So states are now taking charge. They are taking charge because the federal government doesn't seem to, as of the day, they are the chief secretaries officers of the state and lives in principle. And I think we just hope that they actually get the objective for what this office has set up and actually been actualized. I agree with you and Comfort. The only fear is that there is no uniform legal framework for the states to run this system that they have started practicing and that can create some fears. But the fear of a thing should not discourage us from practicing and to close with Comfort Statement that we've been saying this for the umpteen time. There is a problem, there is a proverb in my place that says wo ro wo ro land ifaditi that the deaf person by the time you are throwing in the incantation to the ifad you continue to do it repeatedly. And the deaf, even if we cannot hear you, we make sense of what you are saying. The petition is the law of deep and lasting impression. We're just not relenting, right? We keep going until we get. Next is Joyce, talking about the need for a new constitution. Stay with us.