Worried by the high level of insecurity across the country, the House of Representatives will hold a national dialogue on state policing on Monday.

Vice President Kashmi Shettima is expected to lead two former Nigerian leaders and top security chiefs to the one day dialogue which will hold at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan will deliver special remarks at the event which will also be attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, Minister of Police Affairs, Sen. (Dr.) Ibrahim Geidam, and the a inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, Nigeria Police Force.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Kwara state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF); Sen. George Akume, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio are also expected to speak at the event.

Others to speak are Clement Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC); Richard Montgomery, British High Commissioner to Nigeria; Annette Gunter, German Ambassador to Nigeria; and Elsie Attafuah, Country Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi said in a statement that the Speaker Tajudeen Abbas will deliver the keynote address at the event which is part of efforts by the House to collate public and expert opinion on the state Police bill which has passed second reading in the House.

Krishi recalled that while addressing members earlier in the year, the Speaker had announced plans to convoke a national conference on security.

He quoted the Speaker as saying that “In the area of security, the most important challenge before us is to overhaul and strengthen the security architecture to improve overall effectiveness. The proposed security summit is expected to make far-reaching recommendations and concrete areas for legislative intervention.

“Some priority legislative actions in our Agenda include improving oversight of the sector, legislating for the establishment of a Security Sector Reform Commission to oversee reforms within the sector, introducing stricter penalties for misappropriation, misallocation or any form of financial malpractice within the security sector and passing the whistle-blower protection bill.

“We are committed to strengthening inter-agency collaboration, improving intelligence sharing, and leading police reforms,” he added. (The Nation)

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