The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday deferred talks on state police until its next meeting, amidst the violent attacks and bloodshed in parts of the country.
Bayelsa Governor, Duoye Diri, told State House Correspondents after the council’s 149th meeting at the Aso Rock Villa that the issue was on the agenda, but it could not be discussed in detail as it was still far down on the list.
“State police was part of our agenda today, but unfortunately, because of time demands, and after a very long meeting, we have been there for a very long time now, the presentations could not get to that point. So, I assure you that in our next meeting, that issue will be exhaustively discussed,” the governor explained after the nearly four-hour meeting.
Although the governor did not specify when the next council meeting will be, NEC meetings are held on the last Thursday of the month, The PUNCH reports.
However, the gathering has been infrequent in the last couple of months. Since its meeting in December, the council has not discussed the much-anticipated reform.
Although all 36 states had submitted reports supporting a decentralised police force, the NEC deferred discussions until January 2025. The council only sat in February where it said the matter was not discussed.
During the meeting, the governors observed a minute of silence to honour those killed in the recent wave of attacks in Plateau, Benue, Borno and Enugu States.
