Ahmed Makarfi, former Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, has called for the restructuring of security agencies in
Nigeria.
The former Governor of Kaduna State said institutions of government,
including security agencies must be restructured to serve Nigerians
rather than leaders and politicians.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the PDP
presidential aspirant also noted that there was nothing wrong with
restructuring Nigeria “as long as the foundations are not tampered
with”.
According to Makarfi, “The way Nigerian institutions operate
currently, they only serve the interest of the leaders to the detriment
of the citizens.
“If you look at the armed forces, police, customs and other agencies
of government, they always serve the interest of the leaders and carry
out orders whether lawful or unlawful.
“The armed forces should be more interested in defending the
territorial integrity of Nigeria rather than elections. The police will
also favour those in power. Customs will clear goods as long as there
are instructions from the political leaders. These institutions should
be serving the the people. All Nigerians must be equal before the law.
That is one restructuring of the institutions that must be done.”
Makarfi said the question of Nigeria’s unity had remained unsettled
because “leadership over time has failed to genuinely address issues of
particular concern to some of our compatriots, you still hear agitations
here and there”.
He added, “I believe we must not run away from discussing issues that
concern one and all of us. We must not be afraid to talk to one
another.Good a thing that the agitations do not revolve around the
dismemberment of the nation but rather on how to make our union
stronger, more functional and inclusive.
“I believe that since no human enterprise is perfect, it is always in
order to periodically take a look at the structures of our country with
a view to strengthening would cause no harm, so long as the work is the
product of a national consensus.”