Former Department of State Services (DSS) Director, Mike Ejiofor has urged Nigerian politicians to put national interests above personal ambitions.
He warned that without a stable Nigeria, there would be no country to govern.
Ejiofor stated this during an interview with Arise News on Wednesday.
“Our politicians should note that if there is no Nigeria, there is no place for them to govern. They must put Nigeria first,” he urged.
Speaking further, Ejiofor addressed President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to reduce VIP security costs and stressed the need for broader security reforms, including establishing state police, especially to address political issues fueling unrest in the South.
In response to President Tinubu’s directives, he said “I will look at it from two angles: the security aspect and cutting down costs. I don’t see how he is going to cut down cost except through the reduction of vehicles.”
“So, I think the president must have looked at the extra vehicles and considered them wasteful. Now, with the increase in fuel prices, putting so many vehicles on the road will increase costs.”
From a security perspective, Ejiofor supported limited personnel for ministers and MDAs but voiced concerns about the abuse of police escorts by individuals with “no means of livelihood.”
He said, “We have cases of people with questionable character being protected by multiple police officers,” and cited a recent incident involving Mascot Ikwechegh.
“He was boasting that he would ‘use the police with him and deal with a driver.’ Such dishonorable actions damage the image of law enforcement.”
Ejiofor noted that past directives to limit police escorts have been inconsistently implemented. “If you recall, the Inspector General of Police directed the withdrawal of these police details.
“Now, over 120,000 officers are deployed for VIP protection, which depletes the police force’s available manpower for general duties.
“A lot of people are using police to abuse innocent citizens, which is very unprofessional.”