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- Monopoly democracy killing Nigeria, say Ezekwesili, Utomi
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has said President Muhammadu Buhari must be prevailed upon to acknowledge internal sabotage within the military in the war against terrorism in the country.
Falana also insisted that the President has been flouting the laws of the land by his insistence on keeping service chiefs whose tenures have expired, adding that the government should expect litigation this week on the matter.
Falana, who spoke in an interview that lasted over 20 minutes on Channels’ Sunrise Daily, argued that the laws regulating military officers required the retirement of those who have served for 35 years or have reached the age of 60.
Responding to statements from the Presidency cautioning against public protests against government, Falana said such comments should be “embarrassing” to the President who had led public demonstrations before he became president.
“Under the public service rule, under harmonised rules for military officers in Nigeria and under Section 6 of the armed forces act, which empowers the President to make rules and regulations for the military, there is no provision for extension of tenure for service chiefs beyond the period stipulated by law,” he stated.
Meanwhile, former Presidential candidates, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and Pat Utomi yesterday declared that the political class was using monopoly capitalism to plunge the country into retardation, which has weakened the systems.
They lamented that the country was currently running a ‘monopoly democracy’ a situation worsened by politicians’ lack of incentives to change the status quo as they were benefitting from it.
The duo spoke at a conference on Fix Politics organised by the Robert Bosch Academy in Lagos.
Ezekwesili who advocated a new political mindset and culture, said political monopoly was more dangerous than any economic monopoly, even as she promised to train 3,000 youths in the knowledge of politics, policy and governance.
On his part, Utomi lamented that the country was currently running multiple monopoly, which he described as monopoly capitalism and politics, adding that no country would grow with a mindset of one perspective, just as he insisted that monopoly capitalism never resulted in innovation.