A business mogul and chairman of Flow FM, Ilorin, Mr Femi Sanni, has said the creation of state police is essential for national growth, security and investment.
Sanni, who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin, Kwara State, identified security as a critical factor in unlocking growth, describing it as an intangible but decisive asset for attracting investment.
“No investor wants to invest in an unsafe environment,” he said, noting that the establishment of state police could significantly improve the country’s security architecture.
According to him, state policing would bring law enforcement closer to communities while strengthening accountability at the state level.
“It empowers governors to truly function as chief security officers of their states. Once security is clearly within their operational sphere, they will rightly be held responsible for outcomes,” he said.
He added that the introduction of state police could also deepen healthy competition among Nigeria’s governors.
On the economy, Sanni said that Nigeria’s economic strength would ultimately depend on the capacity of its states to evolve into independent and prosperous economic centres.
He said countries perceived as fast-growing typically have multiple thriving subnational economies driving national development, noting that Nigeria currently has only a few such economic hubs in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
According to him, such a situation limits the country’s economic image and potential, positing that: ” If more states are developed into vibrant economic centres, Nigeria will naturally be better perceived globally as a fast-developing nation.”
