Egbetokun Advocates Governance Reform Over Military Action

Kayode Egbetokun, the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, addressed the 20th International Conference and General Assembly of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) at Lead City University, Ibadan. He called for Nigerian federal and state governments to prioritize governance reform to address the socio-economic challenges facing the country.

Egbetokun stated that using military force to combat poverty is ineffective, asserting that “there is no military solution to a governance problem.” He advocated for a redefined security strategy focused on daily security needs such as food, job, health, and school security. He highlighted the governance gap in responding to threats and proposed a constitutionally defined multi-level policing system that includes federal, state, and community levels.

Egbetokun cautioned that while devolving policing powers is necessary, it must be approached carefully to ensure clarity of roles. Professor Benjamin Aluko, President of SPSP, opened the conference, discussing global security governance challenges.