Former Minister of Education and prominent public policy advocate, Oby Ezekwesili, has cautioned against viewing State Police as a standalone solution to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, insisting that the country requires comprehensive constitutional restructuring to address its deep-rooted governance challenges.
Ezekwesili made the position known amid renewed efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to establish State Police as part of ongoing reforms aimed at tackling rising insecurity across the country.
While acknowledging that decentralised policing is necessary, the former minister, in a statement released on Monday, argued that the growing national conversation should not be limited to the creation of State Police but should focus on the broader constitutional framework that governs Nigeria’s federal system.
According to her, insecurity, economic stagnation and weak public service delivery are symptoms of a larger structural problem caused by excessive concentration of political and fiscal powers at the federal level.
“The question before Nigeria should not simply be whether governors should control police forces. The more important issue is whether the constitutional architecture governing the federation remains fit for purpose.”
Her intervention comes as concerns over kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and violent crimes continue to dominate national discourse. Recent surveys indicate that a significant majority of Nigerians view insecurity as one of the country’s gravest challenges, with many citizens reporting direct or indirect experiences with abduction and violent crime.
Ezekwesili argued that the security crisis reflects a broader failure of governance rather than merely a policing deficiency.
She noted that under the 1999 Constitution, policing is only one of 68 items placed on the Exclusive Legislative List, giving the Federal Government overwhelming control over key sectors. Other critical areas such as prisons, railways, mines and minerals, and arms regulation are also centrally controlled.
According to her, removing policing from the Exclusive List without addressing the wider concentration of powers would amount to treating symptoms while ignoring the underlying disease.
“The State Police debate is ultimately a debate about symptoms. The Exclusive Legislative List is where the disease resides,” she stated.
The former minister traced the current constitutional arrangement to decades of military rule, during which powers previously exercised by regional governments were progressively transferred to the centre. She described the existing system as a “unitary structure wearing federal clothing.”
Ezekwesili maintained that the consequences of over-centralisation are visible in every sector of national life, including security, economic productivity and institutional accountability.
She also warned that insecurity has evolved into a nationwide challenge, spreading beyond traditional hotspots in the North-East and North-West to several parts of the South-West and other regions.
For this reason, she said, Nigeria must embark on a comprehensive restructuring programme that devolves powers to subnational governments, strengthens fiscal federalism and promotes greater accountability.
Among the reforms she proposed are a rebalancing of the Exclusive, Concurrent and Residual Legislative Lists, stronger fiscal autonomy for states, enhanced local governance structures and constitutional reforms driven by citizens.
Ezekwesili further advocated the convocation of a Citizens-led Sovereign National Conference and a referendum on a new constitution that reflects the aspirations of Nigerians.
“State Police will be necessary, but necessity does not make it the solution to a dysfunctional Nigeria,” she said.
She concluded that Nigeria can no longer postpone what she described as the “bold conversation” on restructuring, warning that failure to address the country’s constitutional and governance challenges could deepen existing crises.