Anybody Who Can’t Secure His State Not Fit To Be Governor- Bode George

A former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has identified security of lives and property as the number one assignment of anybody voted to be governor of a state.

George, who is a former Military Governor of old Ondo State, said the federal policing structure put in place in Nigeria would not stop the insecurity in Nigeria

He said community policing was the panacea to the problem of insecurity facing the country.

He said this in an interview on Channels Television’s Newsnight which will be aired later this evening.

He stressed that any government that failed to protect the lives and properties of its citizens should not be in existence in the first place.

He said, “What is the first job of anybody in government? Protection of lives and properties. That is the number one job.

“If you cannot do that, then you are not fit to be the governor of that state.”

While speaking in favour of creation of community police, George who is a retired naval officer, said that it guarantees security in each of the local government councils.

“The beauty of it is that you are sure to contain your local governments; the people, their lives and properties day and night, and they (those running it) would be people who will be hired within that community,” he noted.

“They know who lives there, who does this, and if you see a stranger coming into the community at night; you have the right to challenge.  They know everybody around and there is nothing better in terms of policing than that, he added.

The PDP chieftain insisted that states could employ security personnel based on what they can afford.

He said further, “Maybe some states will have more because they can afford more,” Bode George said in response to comments that funding will be a major challenge in running community policing.

“Why are we thinking that the only way to provide security for lives and properties is by running a federal police? It is not working.”