Stakeholders in the election process in Nigeria, comprising Civil Society Organizations and traditional rulers, have insisted that the 400,000 numerical strength of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is grossly inadequate to ensure a level playing field for mass voter turnout in the country.
At a two-day policy dialogue on Civic Space, Poverty, and Elections in Nigeria, organised by the duo of African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) and the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) held on Tuesday in Abuja, they called on the authorities to invest heavily in the security agencies so that they can reach all the nooks and crannies to ensure that eligible voters cast ballots without let or hindrances.
A traditional ruler, Sarkin Yakin Gagi District Head Gagi, Sokoto, Sani Umar Jabbi, who compared the numerical strength of the police in Nigeria to that of South Africa with less population, argued that without corresponding investment in security, it would be impossible to have a free and fair poll.
Decrying the spate of insecurity in the polity, he argued that if the situation persist, a segment of the society would be denied the opportunity to vote for the candidates of their choices.
He noted: “Government also need to introduce the tools both kinetic and dialogue because in a situation where you can see Nigeria is our country but the security architecture in Nigeria we have less than 400,000 Police and the population of Nigeria is largely 240 something million. I have been giving the example of South Africa, South Africa has 50 million population but they have 1.6 million police serving 50 million South African citizens but in Nigeria we have 400,000 police serving 240 million plus.
“So, there is need for more recruitment, more procurement of arms and ammunition to our security agencies and government need to improve their renumeration because if you see their quarters, it is not acceptable. If you go to other countries like the advanced countries you will see the welfare of police, here in Nigeria you will weep. So we want our leaders to address the contemporary challenges of insecurity
“So, there is need for more recruitment, more procurement of arms and ammunition to our security agencies and government need to improve their renumeration because if you see their quarters, it is not acceptable. If you go to other countries like the advanced countries you will see the welfare of police, here in Nigeria you will weep. So we want our leaders to address the contemporary challenges of insecurity.”
Centre LSD’s Executive Director, Dr. Otive Igbuzor remarked that it is unfortunate that the civic space in Nigeria has been shrinking due to increased governmental control, legal constraints, and intimidation of civil society actors, particularly women’s rights organizations.
Represented by Dr. Itia Otabor, he decries the appalling level of poverty in the polity which limit the ability of citizens to engage meaningfully in democratic processes and challenge injustices.
He added that his organization has commissioned papers on some areas that will inform discussion, which include: credibility threshold of elections, protecting the civic space in Nigeria, voter turn out and programming in Nigeria, appointment criteria for INEC chairman and commissioners, suggestions for Electoral Reform towards 2027 Elections and Single Day for All Elections in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Hajia Saudatu Mahdi reiterated the need for reforms that would secure the civic and political rights of all Nigerians, especially women, young people, and marginalized communities.
According to her, the parley is a call to move beyond rhetoric to the hard, sometimes inconvenient work of expanding civic space, demanding electoral integrity, and confronting poverty as a cause and consequence of democratic failure.
