Chris Emejuru, a chieftain of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and a US-based entrepreneur, has advised President Bola Tinubu to tread carefully with the proposed state policing initiative, stressing that economic hardship is the deeper root of Nigeria's insecurity. In a statement issued to journalists on Sunday, August 9, in Abuja, Emejuru argued that deploying more law enforcement resources without first tackling poverty would not yield lasting peace.
Poverty as the Root Cause of Insecurity
Emejuru, who hails from Rivers State, declared that no amount of military hardware can address the desperation of unemployed youth. "No amount of bullets, weapons, or tanks will put food in the stomach of a desperate youth," he said. "Once you address poverty in the country, insecurity will reduce."
He acknowledged that the government's enthusiasm for state policing is understandable but insisted that it must be matched with equal urgency on poverty reduction. Emejuru argued that if the Tinubu administration channelled the same level of effort into economic empowerment as it has into policing reform, insecurity would "reduce ten fold."
State Policing: Potential but Not a Panacea
While Emejuru conceded that state policing has potential, he stopped short of endorsing it as a solution to Nigeria's security problems. He noted that the reform is not yet within constitutional law and called for safeguards to prevent corrupt actors from taking control of any new structures that emerge.
"State Policing could be a welcome development, but more effort into reducing poverty will make the biggest difference in creating a more stable and secure Nigeria," he said.
Economic Empowerment as a Security Tool
Emejuru proposed several concrete measures to address the link between poverty and crime. These include using AI-enabled technology to release funds directly to the most vulnerable Nigerians, diversifying revenue streams so that resources from multiple sectors can be redistributed transparently, and offering grants to workers in the informal economy, which he said could translate into savings for ordinary Nigerians.
He argued that when young people have access to opportunity, their priorities shift away from desperation. "Instead of looking for food, a youth will find opportunity. Instead of struggling to find hope, people will find work in abundance," he said.
Emejuru stressed that lasting security depends on policies that improve people's daily lives rather than on expanded enforcement capacity alone.
