INSECURITY: REGIONAL GOVT WILL CURB INSURGENCY, BANDITRY, SAYS GROUP

A Benin-based pressure group, God and People’s Parliament has said that regional government would curb terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and all kinds of destruction to human life.

Founder of the group, Dr Dele Oluwatade, while addressing journalists in Benin, said the regional government would work if terms and conditions must apply.

“Every system on earth has terms and conditions. They should give us a politically sound regional government not a federation of states but a federation of regions.

“The regional government would end years of Nigerians languishing under the yoke of terrorism and banditry, kidnapping and all kinds of destruction to human life.

“The states may be the active labour force that will generate the taxes to run the economy, the unit of production, but not the unit of regional federation relationship.

“But we will recommend seven regional federations, because the South-South region is particularly more disadvantaged than any of the regions that are being considered now.

“There must be provision for a referendum that allows the masses of the people to vote on major national  issues as it may arise. The politicians know what we mean”, Dr. Oluwatade noted.

He said the Northwest, Northeast, Middle Belt, Southwest, South-South, Southeast, would have more formidable, control over terrorism and banditry in their regions and Nigeria at large under regional government arrangement.

Speaking on the withdrawn state police bill, he noted that each state should control its state police without recourse to any outside commission or officer.

He alleged that the regions “Which produce most of the violent criminals in Nigeria don’t want the state where they committed the offence to have power to judge them and to sentence them.

“Let Nigeria rise from the dust. Let each one develop his region. May God bless Nigeria, the country of great nations”, he added.