Gov. Akeredolu rejects state funding for community police

The governor aired his view during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, holding that “the idea would not work”.The governor also said that fellow governors of other states around the country would confer with the president regarding the workability of the proposition.

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The burden of states will keep increasing. We will be the one that will fund community police. Where is the money going to come from.“Except we devolve more money to the states, how will the states fund community police? I don’t think it is going to work,” he said.“I am sure that they are taking this thing too far (that) governors will have to pay. We have argued this. They started by saying it will be voluntary, they are not going to pay.“They now shift the burden on the state governors again. Are you increasing their allocation? Which state governor will accept that?“I don’t know if other states will pay but we will not pay. Let us be fair to ourselves, we are running a federal system. We will sit down and discuss this because we have a President that has a listening ear.”Governor Akeredolu also reacted to his relationship with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he said he has a cordial relationship with.He said that with regard to the defection of his deputy to the PDP, the ambitious young man was merely jumping ship to “where he belongs”.Governor Akeredolu expressed much optimism of clinching victory in the October 10 governorship election in the state.It would be useful to recall that the governor had two weeks ago inaugurated the pioneer officers of Ondo State Security Network Agency Amotekun Corps.During the inauguration of the corps, the governor hailed the progress of the inductees who had just wrapped up their training.He beckoned on the Federal Government to support the state with funding for the local community police, adding that the community police is aimed at supporting the indigenous security agencies.