An NGO, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has called on the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) to fund and equip the force adequately ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It also appealed to the Federal Government to activate such fund to the NPTF with a view to placing the Police Force in a better position to fight insecurity and prepare its officers and men for the general elections.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, made the call in Lagos on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the assessment of the implementation of Fund Act 2019 by the CSOs.
Nwanguma said that the Nigeria Police, as a leading security agency during elections, would need funding and logistics to perform well before, during and after the elections.
He advised that if funds could be made available to it on time, the Force would be able to buy equipment that would be relevant to modern-day policing.
“With the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force Trust Fund, funds should be released to it so that it can buy the equipment it will need during the forthcoming general elections.
“If that happens, we know that the police will be more effective in dealing with all the security challenges that may want to hinder free, fair and credible elections in 2023,” he said.
Nwanguma said that the Federal Government should look into the complaints lodged by companies supporting the fund regarding multiple taxation with a view to resolving them.
He also urged the fund to collaborate with the Federal Inland Revenue Servuce (FIRS), and other relevant agencies in resolving such complaints. (NAN)
