…Call for multi-level policing, commiserate with Makinde over Ibadan blast
…Proposes regional rail line
By Philip OsunsamiÂ
Speakers of the Houses of Assembly in the Southwest, on Tuesday , said they are working towards a harmonized legislation in the region on tacking security challenges, regional integration, economic development and others.
The Chairman, Conference of Speakers, Southwest, and Ekiti State Speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye, disclosed this while speaking to journalists, shortly after meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Aribasoye flanked by Hon. Olamide Oladiji {Ondo State}, Adewale Egbedun {Osun State}, Adebo Ogundoyin {Oyo State] and other lawmakers.
The speakers also called for the removal of policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List in order to address security challenges in the region.
The speakers asserted that they were working towards legislation particularly in the areas that the region has common challenges and common issues.
Aribasoye  said: ‘’Our visit to Oyo State today is part of our visit to all the states in the Southwest on the need for us to have regional integration and development, and also to look the issues of security particularly in our region, to call for multi-level policing in Nigeria most importantly.
‘’It is important for us now to have state police, to move policing from the exclusive list to the concurrent list whereby each state of the federation can also on their own sake control of the security situation.
‘’It is important also for us in the Southwest. We are looking at a way we can have harmonised legislation particularly in the areas that we have common challenges and common issues.
‘’We have also come to commiserate with the governor and the people of Oyo State on that needless explosion that took place the last time in Ibadan. The visit is still an ongoing process and we believe Southwest has always been a model and that we will continue to have.
‘’We are also working on how to have southwest legislative summit where all the members of houses of assembly in the Southwest will all come together. Fortunately, Oyo has also agreed to host that, so that we can come together to address some of the issues that we are facing such as insecurity, regional integration, economy and others.
‘’It is our belief that there is  nothing stopping us in the Southwest to have a rail line from Lagos to Ekiti to Ondo State and across all the states in the Southwest, I believe this will drive down economy and bring about development’’.