A coalition of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria under the aegis of Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace has called on the Federal Government to increase the number of security personnel in the country by recruiting additional one million officers to protect Nigerians.
The organisation also demanded the restructuring of Nigeria in the interest of justice and to tackle the multifaceted challenges facing the country.
The IDFP raised these issues in a communique issued after a webinar with the theme, ‘Kidnapping and Armed banditry: Role of government and religious leaders in addressing these challenges’.
The event, attended by over 80 religious leaders mainly of Muslims and Christians, was anchored and moderated by the IDFP Co-Publicity Secretary, Dr. Uzoaku Williams and the Project Officer, Hajiya Lantana Abdullahi.
According to a communique obtained by newsmen on Friday, the IDFP also suggested that the government should carry out a structural adjustment in the Nigerian Police System.
The communique read, “In a country with over 200 million people, there should be at least one million security personnel. The government should provide security personnel for intelligence gathering as well as provide a formidable police force.
“Government should provide security for the protection of life and properties. They should check the proliferation of weapons and also secure our porous borders.
“The government should refocus the nation’s educational system to ensure that it is a priority. Education should be affordable and available to all. Our curriculum should be adjusted; the style should move away from cramming to holistic learning. Most importantly, teachers should be made to concentrate in schools as most of them are now traders due to inadequate funds.”
The IDFP also urged the government to ensure that workers’ salaries, pension, and gratuity were paid as and when due and look at the socio-political and economic sphere of the nation and do things right.
The organisation said, “Government should conduct credible elections across the country and God-fearing people should be elected into offices; especially as Special Advisers so they can give the government good counsel.
“The judicial system should reformed, the country should be restructured for Justice.
“Religious leaders should look inwardly, purge themselves of every ill behaviour, stop singing the praises of a bad government and stop putting them in front rolls in our places of worship.
“Religious leaders should fund their meetings/churches/mosques themselves and not go to the government for help; if they do, they will not be able to constructively criticize the government for positive changes.
“The government should stop making statements not backed with actions, they should keep to their promises. The ravishing lifestyle of religious leaders even more than the politicians should be checked.”
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