"A Long-Overdue Constitutional Step": Professor Andrew Zamani Commends National Assembly's State Police Progress on Arise News
Appearing on Arise News’s News Night, the President of the Pan-African Psychology Union, Professor Andrew Zamani, provided a clinical analysis of the ongoing constitutional push for state policing in Nigeria.
Reflecting on the anxieties raised by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, Professor Zamani emphasized that despite political friction, there is now an undeniable national consensus. Both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi explicitly agree that the centrally controlled policing structure has failed to secure the country.
While acknowledging Obi's concerns regarding potential political manipulation by subnational executives, Zamani argued that the newly passed bill contains critical institutional buffers designed to prevent state governors from turning local commands into personal enforcement tools.
The Timing Dilemma: Addressing the Threat of Political Manipulation
While political opponents voice fears that introducing state police ahead of an election cycle will weaponize local law enforcement against the opposition, Zamani focused on the explicit statutory safeguards written into the draft legislation passed by the federal lawmakers.
Structural Deficits: Re-engineering a Fragmented Security Environment
Drawing on his expertise as a psychologist, Zamani identified a deep-seated deficit of mutual trust within Nigeria's political class as the real barrier to implementation. He argued that endlessly delaying structural expansion under the guise of "broader consultation" is no longer a viable option for a country dealing with systemic security vacuums.
"Our politicians should stop playing with our minds. They should just stop pushing us around... President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Governor Peter Obi agree that state policing is needful. We have security challenges in Nigeria and policing has been a major area of concern... What the current political arrangement has made provision for is that it is possible to return to the table to look at whatever concerns are likely to jeopardize the process."
The 2027 Balance: The State Assembly Ratification Stage
When pressed on whether the public truly supports this rapid legislative transition, Zamani outlined the next constitutional milestones. The bill now leaves the federal chambers and rests squarely with the 36 State Houses of Assembly, where it must secure a two-thirds majority to achieve full implementation.
"Unless what Peter Obi is telling us is that he does not trust all the state political structures, let this issue be treated at the various levels that are constitutionally appropriate and then we can debate the outcomes. We need to start from somewhere."
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