National Economic Council Resolves to Deduct One Percent From Federation Account To Fund Police Reform

The National Economic Council has resolved to deduct. One percent from the Federation account to fund activities of the Police in all states across the country.

The Council however decided that the State component of the fund would be dispensed in the States where the funds originated.

The decision comes on a day the council moved to address the problems of oil theft and staggering number of children out of school.

Talks about Police Reform have been on-going for some time but a major element of the initiative has been funding.

State Governments have over the years done a lot to improve on the performance of the Police by donating crime fighting equipment.

The Council decided that a one percent deduction be made monthly from statutory allocations of all three tiers of Government.

This will be saved to a special fund till one point five trillion naira needed to fully equip the Police is met.

But it gives rise to questions about the legality of deducting one percent from the country's revenue to fund the Police and if that will not interfere with the structure of command of the Police.

National Planning Minister Shamsudeen Usman thinks not as this funding is outside of the Police structure.

Still on security, the Council looked at the menace of oil theft, setting up a committee that would work out modalities to curb the menace.

But what was the rationale behind making Governors from oil producing. States form the core of the committee.

Council also agreed that urgent intervention was needed in the Education sector with the alarming number of ten million children out of school.

Governors believe they have the political will this time around to address the issue but stress that stern measures should be put in place to control the lifestyle choices of some Nigerians which contribute to the problem.


The council however delicately skirted round a key factor that would ensure the smooth implementation of these decisions: the cohesiveness of the Governors Forum.