Igbo National Stakeholders Assembly, INSA, has advocated for the reduction of high cost of governance and suggested salaries and emoluments for the President, Governors, National Assembly, NASS members and all elected and appointed political office holders.
A statement jointly signed by the President and Publicity Secretary of the group, Chief John Uche and Prince Uche Erondu on Monday also suggested that the National Assembly should be a part time job with no other benefit or allowance than that of the civil service.
According to the group, the President, vice President, Governors and deputy Governors should be placed on grade levels 17 salary scale of the civil service, while the members of the National Assembly should be placed on grade level 15.
“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,” the statement reads.
