“Fast to Change Laws, Slow to Protect Lives?” — Reuben Abati’s State Police Comments Ignite Debate Over Tinubu, Makinde and Nigeria’s Security Crisis
Political analyst and veteran broadcaster, Dr. Reuben Abati, has stirred fresh controversy following his comments on the growing insecurity crisis in Oyo State and the lingering national debate over the establishment of State Police in Nigeria.
Abati, while discussing the recent cases of kidnappings and attacks involving schoolchildren and residents in Oyo State, criticized what he described as excuses surrounding the inability of state governments to directly tackle insecurity under Nigeria’s current constitutional arrangement.
According to the former presidential spokesman, policing and internal security remain under the Exclusive Legislative List of the Nigerian Constitution, meaning operational control rests primarily with the Federal Government through the Nigeria Police Force and other federal security agencies.
His remarks were interpreted by many as indirectly defending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while placing constitutional limitations at the center of Governor Seyi Makinde’s inability to independently deploy security architecture capable of addressing violent crimes within Oyo State.
However, critics disagree with that interpretation, arguing that the continued delay in establishing State Police is itself a political decision allegedly being driven by interests connected to the 2027 general elections.
Many political observers insist that the Federal Government and the National Assembly have repeatedly shown the ability to move with unusual speed whenever policies, constitutional amendments, or economic reforms align with political and financial priorities.
They argue that if the same urgency applied to revenue-generating policies and politically strategic reforms were extended to national security restructuring, State Police could already have become a constitutional reality.
Since assuming office in 2023, President Tinubu’s administration has overseen several fast-tracked legislative and policy reforms that moved rapidly through the National Assembly.
One of the most controversial was the swift return of Nigeria’s former national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” replacing “Arise, O Compatriots” after the bill was passed within days by lawmakers before receiving presidential assent.
The administration also aggressively pursued wide-ranging tax reform bills, including the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service Bill, and Joint Revenue Board Bill, all designed to restructure tax administration and federal revenue generation.
Other rapidly implemented reforms include the removal of fuel subsidy, foreign exchange liberalization policies, amendments to the Student Loan Act establishing NELFUND, judicial salary increases, and the expansion of regional development commissions across different geopolitical zones.
Supporters of the administration argue that such rapid reforms were necessary to stabilize Nigeria’s economy, improve public finance management, and prevent policy sabotage.
However, opposition voices and civil society commentators insist that many of these reforms received faster political attention than urgent security concerns affecting ordinary Nigerians daily.
Critics maintain that if President Tinubu genuinely desired State Police, the process could gain immediate traction through strategic engagement with the leadership of the National Assembly, including the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
To them, the prolonged hesitation suggests deeper political calculations.
“This is not about impossibility; it is about political will,” many analysts argue.
The issue of State Police has remained one of Nigeria’s most sensitive constitutional debates for years. Advocates believe decentralizing policing powers would allow governors and local authorities to respond faster to kidnappings, terrorism, armed robbery, and communal violence within their states.
Opponents, however, fear State Police could be weaponized by governors against political opponents, journalists, activists, and opposition parties during elections.
Despite those concerns, growing insecurity across the country has continued to strengthen public demand for decentralized policing structures.
The debate intensified further after fresh attacks and abductions in different parts of the country reignited questions about Nigeria’s intelligence and security capabilities in an era dominated by advanced surveillance technology.
Many Nigerians continue to question how terrorists, kidnappers, and criminal gangs repeatedly operate successfully despite the availability of drone surveillance systems, satellite intelligence, digital tracking technology, and modern military equipment globally.
Some citizens openly argue that it makes little sense for authorities to consistently claim ignorance of criminal hideouts while insecurity continues to spread.
According to critics, Nigeria’s security crisis increasingly appears less like a lack of capacity and more like a failure of political coordination, urgency, and strategic commitment.
While supporters of the Federal Government insist that security challenges predate the Tinubu administration and require careful constitutional consultation before implementing State Police, public frustration continues to grow.
For many Nigerians, the core issue is no longer whether constitutional amendments can happen quickly, but why certain reforms appear politically urgent while others directly tied to saving lives move slowly through the system.
As conversations around restructuring, constitutional reform, and security decentralization continue nationwide, the controversy generated by Reuben Abati’s comments has once again exposed the widening distrust between political leaders and citizens demanding immediate solutions to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity crisis.
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