Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has hinted that the National Security Adviser (NSA) played a role in delaying states’ eligibility to procure drones in the fight against insecurity.
Mr Fayemi, who spoke on Thursday at the Ekiti Economic and Investment Summit, where the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was in attendance, stressed the need for multi-level security in the country.
He advocated the empowerment of states to have their police, noting that the demand had become inevitable in the face of current security challenges.
“This request does not mean abrogation of the central police,” said Mr Fayemi.
“If you have problem of security in Kaduna, Governor El-Rufai can easily take charge.
“My recent experience and many of our governors were not even palatable where we wanted to procure drones and Mr President was with us on the issue, but the NSA refused us End User Certificate, though we got it one year after.
“As of now, security is on the exclusive list. Even If the FG is ready to allow us procure some arms, we have to sign MOu with the Nigerian Airforce. We have to work together collaboratively, because investors consider security as number one in any state.”
Mr Fayemi was not alone in the call for the decentralisation of the police, as the governors of Lagos, Kaduna and Edo also lamented that preventing governors of the respective states from taking charge of security was affecting investments, development and wellbeing of the people adversely.
The Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, said police should be removed from the exclusive list for state chief executives to be in firm control.
