An Igbo group, Igbo National Stakeholders Assembly (INSA), has maintained that only restructuring of Nigeria would address the myriads of challenges bedeviling the country.
The group called for reduction of high cost of governance and advocated that salaries of the President, Governors, National Assembly members and all elected and appointed political office holders should take the shape of Nigerian civil service.
The socio-political organization said the President, vice president, governors and deputy governors should be placed on level Seventeen (17) salary scale of Nigerian civil service, while the National Assembly members should be placed on level fifteen (15).
The Igbo Assembly, in a release jointly signed by its President, Chief John Uche and Publicity Secretary, Prince Uche Erondu and made available to DAILY POST on Monday, further recommended that the National Assembly should be a part time job with no other benefit or allowance more than that of the civil service.
It also condemned in strong terms the killing of armless End SARS protesters at Lekki toll gate, urging the federal government to investigate the wanton killing and ensure that those involved are meant to face the full wrath of the law.
According to the group, the protesters were exercising their right and killing them in cold blood was a crime against humanity.
The Igbo organization called for the sack of all security chiefs.
It sais, “the call to scrap the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) and reform the police force is a sign that the entire security structure in Nigeria have failed woefully. It is only in Nigeria that people die in large number every day for more than ten years now. Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani killer herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers kill hundreds of Nigerians on daily basis.
“The primary assignment of government to protect lives and properties in Nigeria does not work. The killing of our youths who were doing peaceful protest in Lekki has shown that Nigeria and Lagos State governments have failed and should apologize to Nigerians. Responsive countries who value lives provide security for her protesters not watch them being slaughtered only to play blame games.
“It beats our imagination that the call by Nigerians before now to remove all security chiefs and replace them with qualified ones has been ignored to the detriment of Nigerians. The notion that the Nigerian security outfits cannot provide safe environment in Nigeria is a lie. The impediment is that the qualified are not allowed to head our security structures, there is no motivation for security operatives and it appears that some people who are benefiting from the insecurity are bent on seeing Nigeria destroyed.
“The insecurity in Nigeria is only one part of our problems. We have a rotten and failed system yearning for holistic overhaul. Now that the youths have woken up, it is high time those in authority became pragmatic enough to stop all forms of impunity and address all issues raised and provide good governance at all levels. Turning deaf ear to this will result to anarchy and the first target will be the political class.
“In order to save Nigeria from total collapse, Igbo National Stakeholders’ Assembly, (INSA), also recommends the following: ‘All former governors, deputy governors holding elected or appointed positions should resign immediately, while they should be banned from holding offices.
“All corrupt individuals irrespective of party affiliations should be prosecuted and looted funds recovered.
“Security votes given to Governors on monthly basis should be stopped and channeled to education and research.
“The children of all elected or appointed political office holders should be meant to attend public schools, while they and their families will make use of public hospitals. These include the President, Governors, National Assembly members”.
