Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, has called on the Federal Government to review the current revenue-sharing formula under the Federation Account Allocation Committee to accommodate the planned establishment of state police.
Soludo made the call on Friday during a media chat with journalists in Awka, the state capital, where he expressed strong support for the creation of state police.
He described it as a practical step towards improving security across the country.
The governor stated that it was unrealistic to centralise policing in a country as large and complex as Nigeria.
The development comes amid renewed national debate over police reforms as the country continues to battle rising insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and communal clashes.
In recent years, calls for the establishment of state police have gained momentum, with supporters arguing that decentralising policing would enhance response time and strengthen local intelligence gathering.
As part of ongoing efforts, a steering committee of the Nigeria Police Force tasked with developing a framework for state police was inaugurated on March 4 by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
The committee is expected to come up with a workable structure to guide the implementation of the proposed system.
Speaking on his position, Soludo said, “I am a proponent. Anambra is one of those states that support the President’s view that there should be state police. Here in Anambra, our security architecture operates at three levels: the state, local government, and the community.”
The governor noted that any move to devolve policing powers to states must be accompanied by a review of the revenue allocation formula.
“It is just a no-brainer to think you can police the entire country from Abuja. It is a joke.
“If you are devolving that, the consequential conversation about the revenue allocation formula will have to follow because, in designing our constitution, policing, the military, and other security agencies were placed on the exclusive list, and the sharing of revenue was structured to reflect that,” he added.
Soludo questioned the basis of the current revenue-sharing structure, noting that the formula appears to concentrate resources at the centre.
According to him, the Federal Government currently receives about 53 per cent of federation revenue largely because it bears responsibility for major security functions, while states receive about 26 per cent.
“Now, if we have to devolve some of those responsibilities, the states only get about 26 per cent, and when you share it among the 36 states, none gets up to one per cent.
“Our own system shows that we cannot secure the entire Anambra from Awka alone,” the governor added.
When asked to propose a new sharing formula, Soludo said, “Many of these figures—53, 26, 21—how they were arrived at, I have no idea, but it is something we need to focus our attention on.”
He described the current arrangement as an “inverted pyramid,” where more resources are concentrated at the top, leaving lower tiers with limited capacity to drive development.
“If we truly want rapid transformation, the structure should be a real pyramid, with the base getting most of the resources and a lean, efficient centre, because development happens at the grassroots,” he said.
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