By Ibrahim Mohammed and George Emine, Abuja
An elder statesman and former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Sir Mike Mbama Okiro, has said that for Nigeria to overcome her current challenges there was the need for Nigerians to set aside their differences with a view to addressing the current challenges facing the nation.
Okiro, stated this during an interview with AljazirahNigeria in Abuja, recently.
He said that Nigerians owe the country a duty to support every efforts of the Federal government as well as other tiers of government in the country.
In this vein, the former IGP said that “everybody must participate” in the onerous task of addressing insecurity among other challenges facing the nation.
The elder statesman while giving rationale for his call on Nigerians to rally round the federal government also recalled that in the Niger Delta region where he was born and brought “Every member of a family is assigned a duty in ensuring the smooth running of the home.
For instance, Okiro said that while growing up in the region farmers or fishermen fully engage their entire household in their day to day activities and such teamwork which he said is also is also obtainable in other parts of Nigeria formed the bedrock of development.
Therefore, the former IGP said that such “Unity of purpose at the family level can be ploughed into our national life” and that entails working for the good of the country especially as the federal government roles out various strategies to tackle insecurity and other socio-economic challenges facing the nation.
Commenting on the recent appointment of the new Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, Okiro said President Bola Tinubu is constitutionally empowered to appoint whoever he sees as qualified for the job.
Besides, he said Disu requires the support of everyone to enable him succeed.
While reacting to the retirement of senior officers to pave the way for the new IGP’s emergence, Okiro said that the police force “Operates on discipline” And the retirement of senior officers is to forestall a situation whereby “A son becomes the father”.
Judging from the aforementioned he advised members of the public to disabuse their minds from the negative painting of senior officers retiring for their junior to emerge as IGP, saying it is purely procedural “In the police tradition of maintaining discipline.
Okiro, however, expressed the hope that if Nigerians imbibed the spirit of putting the nation first in whatever they do the country will inevitably overcome the numerous challenges be it insecurity or otherwise.
He then called for unalloyed support for the Tinubu led federal government in the ongoing efforts of the administration to exit the country from the current challenges.
