Ezekwesili calls for constitutional restructuring to tackle Nigeria’s insecurity

Former Education Minister and founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Oby Ezekwesili, has argued that constitutional restructuring—not the creation of state police alone—is the lasting solution to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.

In a public memorandum addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, state governors and Nigerians, Ezekwesili said the renewed campaign for state police has revived one of the country’s most significant governance debates.

She acknowledged that support for state police has grown amid escalating insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, violent extremism and communal conflicts, which have stretched the capacity of the centrally controlled police system.

According to her, many Nigerians view state police as a long-overdue response to the country’s security challenges.

She cited findings from Afrobarometer showing that 79 per cent of Nigerians consider kidnapping and abduction a serious national problem, while 33 per cent know someone who has been kidnapped in the last five years. The survey also found that 63 per cent of respondents felt unsafe in their homes or neighbourhoods within the previous year.
“These are not merely security statistics; they are indicators of a profound crisis of state effectiveness and citizen confidence,” she said.

While supporting the idea of state police, Ezekwesili cautioned that it should not be seen as a complete solution to the country’s security woes.

She argued that Nigeria risks treating a symptom rather than addressing the root cause of the problem, insisting that insecurity is fundamentally linked to deeper constitutional, governance and political economy failures that have weakened state institutions and accountability.