Katsina—Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, former Inspector-General of Police, IGP, yesterday, called for amendment of the country’s constitution to make the protection of social and economic rights of citizens justifiable.

He made the remarks in Katsina in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Coomassie said the purpose of government was not only to protect the security and welfare of the people but also sustain their economic and social rights.

He added that “if government fails to provide those rights, citizens should be allowed to sue and claim for damages.”
The former police chief said “I believed such action will compel those vested with leadership to do the right things, be more patriotic and respond to the needs of the people.

He said most of the lapses in governance since Nigeria’s independence were because the same constitution which listed those rights as fundamental, also made it difficult to enforce them.
“Now you cannot go to court and ask the government to train your children, give them jobs and fair remuneration or good health,” he noted.