Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo Leads Subscribers to Prince Dapo Abiodun Housing Estate Site in Abeokuta North LG

In a bold move toward expanding housing development and urban planning, the Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo on Saturday leads Subscribers to the new Prince Dapo Abiodun Housing Estate Site in the local government.

Speaking during the tour with the first batch of subscribers, Hon. Oyegbola-Sodipo emphasized the vision behind the housing scheme and the coordinated efforts being made by both local and state governments to provide affordable housing for residents.

“This is the new town that we are working on. It will become a hub for low and medium housing development under the Prince Dapo Abiodun Low and Medium Housing Estate,” the chairman stated.

“We’ve taken our first set of subscribers to the site to show them the progress—especially the land clearing and preparation work which is already ongoing. Setting out will begin in the next couple of weeks.”

The chairman also highlighted the strategic location of the estate, noting that access routes are well within urban reach.

“We drove in from Lafenwa through Ogun Radio, with the turning less than three minutes from Lafenwa. From that point to the project site is just a five-minute drive.

“Of that five minutes drive, we have a larger portion of it about 70% of the road network there that are just recently constructed through a federal government intervention and we know that with another intervention that is underway, that will be situating again in this new town , the remaining portion which is about 30% of the road would also be completed along side this intervention that is coming from the federal government and of course supported by the effort of our governor.

“So this is the new town, this is Prince Dapo Abiodun low and medium cost housing estate where we have set out to deliver the first phase and of course the second phase will come immediately after”.

Hon. Oyegbola-Sodipo further pledged his commitment to ensuring that all subscribers obtain their legal documents, including Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

“I will stand for every subscriber for them to get their Certificate of ownership.The only thing that we are going to do is to ensure we have a process that people will have the assurance that they are working through a part from a government to another government from the local government to the state government so we would create a desk that would help everyone subscribing to this estate to be able to go through the process and the application for their necessary papers including the C of O’s just to support the process and make it seamless for them and the assurance we know that they would definitely be having that within the right time “ he assured.

Tinubu Takes Quick Steps To Help Niger Flood Victims, Assures Unwavering Support

Sahara Weekly Reports That In a heartfelt message released on Saturday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conveyed his deep concern and unwavering support for the people of Mokwa Local Government Area in Niger State, who have been severely impacted by recent floods that claimed lives and displaced families.

The President, in a personally signed statement, expressed his condolences to the affected families and the entire people of Niger State. “I have received with deep concern the distressing reports of severe flooding in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, which has resulted in the tragic loss of lives and the displacement of families,” the statement read. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the affected families and the good people of Niger State at this difficult time.”

Demonstrating proactive leadership, President Tinubu disclosed that he had immediately directed the activation of the National Emergency Response Centre and engaged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for a detailed briefing on the disaster’s scale and the urgent humanitarian needs. “Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, and all relevant federal agencies have been mobilized to support the state government’s efforts,” he assured.

In a show of solidarity and compassion, President Tinubu emphasized that relief materials and temporary shelter assistance were already being deployed, ensuring that no Nigerian affected by the disaster would be left behind or neglected. “I assure all those impacted that your government stands with you,” he declared. “We will continue to coordinate with the Niger State Government to ensure a swift, coordinated, and compassionate response, one that prioritizes lives, restores dignity and accelerates recovery.”

The President also called on all Nigerians to stand united in prayer and support for their fellow citizens in Mokwa, highlighting the nation’s collective resilience and humanity during such trying times. “In times of adversity, we draw strength from our unity, resilience, and shared humanity,” he reminded.

Furthermore, President Tinubu directed security agencies to assist in emergency efforts, while tasking NEMA and the National Emergency Response Centre with ongoing coordination and timely updates to the nation.

Through this compassionate message and prompt action, President Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to the safety and well-being of all Nigerians, especially in moments of tragedy. His words and actions underscore a government determined to leave no one behind, standing by its people when they need it most.

Decentralizing Policing in Nigeria: The Urgent Case for State-Controlled Law Enforcement

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | For Sahara Weekly NG

For decades, Nigeria has endured the consequences of an overstretched, inefficient and highly politicized central policing system. The result? Catastrophic. Rising insecurity, emboldened terrorists, banditry and unchecked violence have ravaged nearly every corner of the country. From the blood-soaked fields of Zamfara to the kidnapping corridors of the South-East and the cult-infested creeks of the Niger Delta, the evidence is irrefutable: centralized policing has failed Nigerians.

Despite its glaring dysfunction, the idea of devolving police powers to state governments remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial debates. Detractors argue that state police may be abused by governors as political thugs, but that’s a distraction from the real question: Do states in Nigeria currently have the financial and structural capacity to run police forces that are accountable, professional and effective; not as political weapons but as agents of justice and peace?

Central Policing: A Colonial Relic Turned Burden

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), with about 370,000 officers serving over 220 million people, has one of the worst police-to-citizen ratios in the world. According to United Nations standards, a functional ratio is 1 officer to every 450 citizens. Nigeria languishes at roughly 1:600, and that’s before factoring in the lopsided deployment of personnel.

Shockingly, more than 40% of officers are assigned to VIP protection (guarding politicians, their families and business elites) while ordinary Nigerians are left defenceless against armed robbers, kidnappers and insurgents.

This structure is not accidental; it is a colonial legacy. As Professor Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development aptly puts it:

“The Nigerian police are not trained to serve the people. They are trained to protect the state from the people.”

That mindset still dominates. The NPF remains a blunt, top-down instrument of coercion, not community safety. From the excesses of SARS to police complicity during elections, the central police system has consistently shown that it is out of touch and out of control.

The Case for State Policing: Security Must Be Local

Nigeria is a federation on paper but a unitary dictatorship in practice, especially regarding policing. With over 250 ethnic groups, multiple languages and complex regional dynamics, a one-size-fits-all federal police force cannot address the security needs of all states.

Countries like the United States, India, Canada and Germany, all federal in structure, operate decentralized policing models. In the U.S., over 90% of law enforcement is handled by state, county or municipal agencies and not Washington, D.C.

Nigeria has already seen states respond to security failures by creating regional outfits: Amotekun (South-West), Ebube Agu (South-East), Hisbah (North) and others. These are clear expressions of popular no-confidence votes in the federal police. But these outfits remain legally weak and operationally constrained without constitutional backing.

What Nigeria needs now is not just more vigilante groups but a legal and constitutional framework that allows states to form and manage professional, community-embedded police services.

Can States Afford State Police? The Numbers Don’t Lie

One of the most common arguments against state policing is financial incapacity. This argument is misleading and frankly, LAZY.

According to BudgIT and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS):

Lagos State generates over ₦400 billion annually in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which is more than some African countries.

Rivers, Ogun, Delta and Kaduna States each generate over ₦50 billion annually.

25 states generate more than ₦10 billion annually.

So why do we say they “cannot afford” state policing? The issue isn’t capacity, it’s priority and accountability.

If states can build multi-billion-naira airports, mega flyovers and luxurious government houses, surely they can fund training, equipment and welfare for 5,000 to 10,000 well-trained state officers.

In 2024, the federal government allocated over ₦1.3 trillion to police and security services. Yet, most rural communities remain vulnerable. A fraction of that, used efficiently by states, can yield better results. Moreover, states could seek matching grants or partnerships with private and international donors to strengthen their security apparatus.

The Fear of Abuse: A Convenient Excuse
A major objection to state policing is the potential for abuse by state governors. But let’s be clear: the federal police are not immune to abuse. SARS was a federal outfit, yet it became synonymous with torture, extrajudicial killings and robbery.

During the 2023 general elections, federal police were accused of colluding with political parties to suppress opposition and disenfranchise voters. In Lagos, Rivers and Kano, shocking videos of police inaction and collaboration with thugs circulated widely.

The abuse argument is not an argument against decentralization; it is an argument for institutional reform.

A properly crafted State Police Act must include:

Independent oversight commissions

Auditable budgets and public transparency

Cross-border collaboration to prevent jurisdictional loopholes

Community-based recruitment

Strict human rights and use-of-force protocols

National benchmarks for training and ethics

The Federal Government’s role should evolve into providing technical support, forensic labs and inter-state crime coordination not micromanaging state security from Abuja.

Political Bottlenecks: The Elephant in the Room

Why, despite mounting evidence, has Nigeria failed to implement state policing?

Politics.

Centralized policing is a political weapon. Whoever controls the federal police controls elections, opposition suppression and even media narratives. That is why the ruling class is reluctant to devolve power.

In 2021, the National Assembly blocked key constitutional amendments that would have allowed states to establish their own police forces. Why? Because the party in power benefits from centralized force.

As Wole Soyinka warned:

“There’s no way we can continue along this unitarist line. It’s a logical contradiction. You can’t continue with this crude, centralist mindset and expect safety.”

State governors (especially in the South) must form a united front to lobby for this constitutional change. This will require sacrificing political capital, building coalitions across party lines and directly engaging the Nigerian public.

A National Crossroads: Reform or Ruin
Insecurity in Nigeria is no longer an abstract debate, it is an existential crisis. Farmers are abandoning fields. Children cannot go to school. Businesses are closing. Millions live under the daily threat of violence, extortion and death.

We must not allow political cowardice or elite selfishness to deny Nigerians the right to safety.

A decentralized police system is not a luxury; it is a necessity for national survival. Every state should have the constitutional authority, financial framework and legal support to secure its people.

It is time to break free from colonial chains and build a policing system that reflects our federal reality, respects our diversity and protects every Nigerian; rich, middle-class or poor, north, east or south, Muslim, Christian or Pagans.

The time for half-measures has passed.
The time to decentralize is now.