State Governments Can’t Fund Community Police – Akeredolu

Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, says he doesn’t think it will be possible for state governments to fund community police.

Akeredolu made the comment while speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday.

He disclosed that his colleagues under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum will table the matter before President Muhammadu Buhari for his intervention.

“The burden of states will keep increasing. We will be the ones 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.”

Reacting to his relationship with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, the governor said it is cordial.

He however maintained that the issue between him the Deputy Governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi is out of ambition, stressing that Ajayi decided to exit the ruling APC to “where he belongs.”