Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, says Nigeria can no longer afford to delay the creation of state police if it hopes to effectively confront its worsening security challenges.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja after returning from Geneva, Switzerland, where he attended the 55th WTO-IPU Parliamentary Forum, Kalu argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing system is outdated and below global standards.

“The response time of policing in Nigeria is below the global standard,” he said. “The only way we can achieve improvement is to unbundle the current centralised system, just like other countries with municipal and state police. Certain issues would be handled by state police and others by federal police. That is why we are calling for the national public hearing on Monday.”

While acknowledging fears of possible abuse of state policing, Kalu maintained that such concerns should not stop the government from prioritising the security of lives and property.

The Deputy Speaker, who was recently hosted by Nigerian students at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, also praised citizens for their resilience amid President Bola Tinubu’s tough economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal.

He further commended state governments for driving economic diversification, which he said would create jobs and improve welfare.

“This is the time for everybody’s hands to be on deck,” Kalu added. “We cannot afford distractions. It is time to move Nigeria forward.”