Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday called for the scrapping of the Nigeria Police for what he termed the force’s contempt for the people especially alleged reckless killing of harmless citizens.
He therefore called for its disbandment and the establishment of a new one that will respect and defend the people.
Falana, speaking at the pre-May Day lecture jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja said the neo-colonial content of police training is not helping matters.
The civil rights activist in a paper entitled “The working class and the marginalised group and the quest for socio-economic rights in Nigeria” also asked Nigerians to wake up and free the society from the grip of looters and stop political parties set up by the bourgeoisie to access power.
He said:”Over the years, the ruling class has conveniently ignored several judicial pronouncements in favour of social justice. That is not unexpected given the fact that the government is run by an army of neo-liberal ideologues who are committed to the defense of market fundamentalism.
“This means that the struggle for the economic empowerment of the masses transcends the legal arena. It is a battle for popular democracy as opposed to liberal democracy. It is a battle for the democratic control of the economy to ensure that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.”
He added:”To stop the reckless killing of people in Nigeria, we have to disband the police force which has contempt for our people because of the neo-colonial content of their training. In its place a new police service which will respect and defend the people should be established. To free our society from the tiny grip of looters the Nigerian people should be mobilised to struggle for popular democracy.”
He blamed the current level of poverty in the country on the World Bank-sponsored Structural Adjustment Programme introduced by the Babangida administration in 1986.
The programme, according to him, led to official withdrawal by the state from the funding of social services thus paving the way for massive poverty in the land.
“The complete or partial withdrawal of spending on public welfare negatively affected critical areas such as health, education with dire consequences on poor people. Unregulated trade liberalization supported by the World Trade Organization (WTO) destroyed local industries,” he said.
“In addition to the diversion of public funds by a handful of public officers, the government has continued to take toxic loans from foreign financial institutions to fund the escalating costs of running an unproductive bureaucracy.
“Under an economy controlled by market forces, the majority of citizens have been denied access to security, welfare and happiness. In an arrogant manner, the few public officers and their cohorts who have cornered the commonwealth turn round to impose austerity measures on the people.
“The ongoing investigation into the mega looting of the treasury has shown that if the resources of the nation had been judiciously managed an effective welfare programme could have been established and run in the interest of the people.
“Although the mega looting of the national treasury is being investigated, the Nigerian people are being penalised for the mismanagement of the economy by the ruling class. Electricity tariff has been increased even though there is no improvement in electricity supply. Nigerians are being forced to pay more for education, health, fuel and other essential social services.
“The APC-led government has made it clear that it is unable to fulfill its electoral promises due to the damage done to the economy by the PDP and on account of the fall in the price of crude oil in the international market.”
He advised the federal government to use “the stolen wealth being recovered towards the funding of a welfare programme for the people”
While throwing his weight behind the demand by organised labour for a new national minimum wage despite the economic situation in the country, the legal practitioner argued that by virtue of section 17 of the Constitution, the government is under an obligation to provide a living national minimum wage and make conditions of work just and humane and ensure that the health, safety and welfare of all persons in employment are safeguarded and not endangered or abused.
He regretted however that “in total disregard of its constitutional responsibility to Nigerian workers, the government has provided for a starvation wage of N18,000.00 per month. Even the starvation wage is not paid as and when due as stipulated by law.” He deplored the parasitic bureaucracy in the country and declared: “No government has reviewed projects that constitute a drain on public treasury. Governors still travel so regularly to Abuja and other places in hired jets.
“There are 11 planes in the presidential fleet! Public officers move around in long convoys. The governments have hired hundreds of aides and consultants. Jobs which can be handled by civil servants are firmed out to contractors at skyrocketing prices. Majority of state governments have refused to adopt the TSA to eliminate the diversion of public funds.”
He regrets that corruption was only being fought at the federal level “while it has remained business as usual in the states and local government councils.
Some ministers, senators and other public officers earn double salaries while no state government has reduced the scandalous pension package for ex-governors in terms of salaries for life, houses in the state capitals plus Abuja, medical, vehicle and other allowances etc.”
Falana was represented by the Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu,
totally Agree! clean up or reform the Nigerian police, not sack.... I met a very good bunch that are quite professionals in their duties like the new Area Commander in Panti lagos Division(I don't know his name), he is western in his approach and very intelligent. You don't dare detain citizen without any basis, he listens to everybody one after another and clear you without signing a bail bond or spending a dime, he rebukes his officers who airs and apologizes to individuals who are wrongly harassed or detains behind his back, we still have members of the Nigerian Police who are patriotic and service oriented, though over a 100 percent you can get just 20 percent of his likes which to me is a failure, but adequate reform is what the police force needs
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