NEC Defers Discussion On State Police Due To Time Constraints

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday deferred its discussions on the proposed establishment of state police, citing time constraints during its extended meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.

Naijaonpoint gathered that the proposal for state police, which has been a topic of increasing national interest, was scheduled to be discussed, but was not reached before the meeting ended.

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, confirmed that the issue of state police was on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, but due to the lengthy presentations on other topics, the discussion was postponed.

“State police was part of our agenda today, but unfortunately, because of time demands… the presentations took a long time. We were unable to get to that bit of it. I can assure you that in our next meeting, that issue will be exhaustively discussed,” Governor Diri told reporters during ...-NEC media briefing.

The delay in discussing the state police proposal comes amid mounting calls for enhanced security measures at the state level.

NEC had last discussed the proposal in December 2024, when it was reported that all states had expressed support for the idea.

The urgency of the issue was highlighted during the meeting, with the council holding a minute of silence to honour victims of recent violent attacks in Plateau and Benue states, further emphasizing the growing concerns over national security.

Agriculture Sector Takes Centre Stage

With the delay in discussing state police, the briefing quickly shifted focus to other pressing agenda items, particularly in the agriculture sector.

The Governor of Nasarawa, Abdullahi Sule, alongside his counterparts from Imo, Ekiti, and Bayelsa states, provided updates on key agricultural initiatives.

Governor Sule addressed lingering concerns regarding the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), an initiative designed to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts through modern ranching systems.

Sule, whose state hosted the most successful pilot of the NLTP, acknowledged significant setbacks, particularly in terms of funding, which hampered the program’s broader implementation.

Sule explained that the NLTP, a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the government of the Netherlands, faced challenges at its inception, especially concerning funding.

These issues, he noted, were not fully resolved before the 2023 elections, preventing the plan from expanding across the country.

However, Sule expressed optimism about a new initiative under the Ministry of Livestock Development aimed at overcoming the earlier obstacles.

“I’m happy to tell you that the ministers were informed about this. It didn’t go down as a waste. Many of the trainees have transitioned into other programmes like the RUGA projects and are now training others,” Sule explained.

Sule also addressed reports of land encroachment at the pilot ranching site in Nasarawa, clarifying that the locals were allowed to resume farming temporarily to prevent the land from falling into disuse.

“It was not an encroachment in the strict sense. The land would become difficult to cultivate again if left idle, so the communities who used to farm there were allowed back for agricultural use,” he said.

Modern Solutions To Farmer-Herder Conflicts

Governor Diri also weighed in on the need for modern solutions to address the longstanding issue of farmer-herder conflicts. He emphasized the importance of cattle ranching and peacebuilding initiatives as part of the ministry’s efforts to modernize the agricultural sector.

“What the ministry equally presented today as a follow-up to the NLTP shows that the sector is being modernized. More importantly, emphasis is being placed on cattle ranching and peacebuilding,” Diri said.

While Thursday’s meeting was unable to address all the planned agenda items, it reaffirmed the NEC’s commitment to tackling the dual challenges of national security and food security.

As anticipation builds for the next NEC session, all eyes will be on whether the long-awaited conversation about state police will finally take center stage, especially as the issue continues to resonate with citizens across the country.