......Advocates balanced ministerial appointments for Ndigbo
......Proposes 8 positions for the South East
In this exclusive interview with the former Police Service Commission Chairman, Chief Simon Okeke, at his Akatar Lodge Residence inn Amichi , Ekwusigo LGA, bared his mind on so many issues bordering the country and his state Anambra, and took time to explain on the need why there should be state policing to help curb the high level of insecurity in the country.
Chief Simon Okeke, said despite the economic downturn with cost of living rising to absurdity, that President Bola Tinubu was still a courageous leader.
Chief Okeke noted that President Tinubu had been tried his best to fix the economic problems under his watch, saying that though the problems were enormous, he has seen a leader who is courageous, especially with be issue of state policing which Tinubu himself agreed with him when he was PSC boss. He said he saw the need to educate people on the need to accept state policing, reason he wrote the book "Policing the Nigeria Police"
He however noted that the team working with the President needed to be reshuffled, because of the many flaws they brought to the system, which has caused "go slow".
Chief Okeke gave his nod to the CBN boss, Olayemi Michael Cardoso, and Chief Adebayo Olawale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy whom he said, have ensured that the economy of the country did not slop down further.
He insisted that the cabinet reshuffle had become necessary and will to this end create opportunity for the South East to be equally accommodated in ministerial appointments like other geo-political zones. He proposed eight ministerial positions for the South East who he said did not have equal representation in the ministerial slots like other states.
He disclosed that Ohaneze Ndigbo had earlier called for the cabinet reshuffle, adding that he endorsed the position of Ohaneze to have more Easterners, for the interest of justice and equity.
Chief Okeke also disclosed his unrepentant advocacy for state policing, as he has always been a major proponent of state police ideology, before it became an issue of the moment, declaring that state police remained the ideal thing, if anybody wanted to be serious about the security challenges in the country.
Chief Okeke said that the merits of state police ideology is in the pages of his new Book titled, “Policing The Nigeria Police” which he recently presented in Lagos state with the former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku as Chairman, said he was fully in support of the move to adopt the system as obtained in other developed countries of the world.
“If anybody should be serious about security, there should be state police as it is in US, Germany and other countries of the world. Our country is modeled on US government.
“The system is an antidote to security challenges where the states will be fully in charge. I’m one hundred percent in support of it, “the former police boss said.
On his take on government refineries not working in Nigeria, Chief Okeke said the managers of that sector of the economy were not serious about making the refineries work.
He described what is happening at that sector of the economy as conspiracy against the people and called for concerted efforts to remedy the situation. He rhetorically asked how many times Nigerians were told that the refineries would start work with nothing new to be seen.
He said that the ultimate goal of planners in that area of the economy was to privatize the refineries for Nigerians to be held at the mercy of private companies as suppliers of petroleum products and every other thing.
On security challenges in Nigeria, especially the Northern parts of the country, he said the activities of the bandits were suspected to have been masterminded by thousands of militants allegedly hired to uproot President Goodluck Jonathan during the presidential election between him and Muhammadu Buhari as major contenders in that election who he said sensed the evil scheme and quickly accepted defeat.
He noted that the state of insecurity had come to stay, except new measures were adopted.
In his comment on nonconduct of local government election in Anambra state, he described it as an unhealthy situation. He also rhetorically asked, why Governors were afraid to conduct the Council elections in Anambra.
The former police boss called for a review of the joint account between the state and local government system with a view to ensuring local government autonomy and necessary constitutional amendments to effect the change.