Nigeria: If I were to be the new I-G of Police

[sparrow]

Adewale T Akande (Spain) - I will first thank the almighty God for making me to reach this highest level of my career and also thank the Presidency and the entire Nigerians for giving me this opportunity to serve as the 15th Inspector-General of Police of the most populous black nation of the world since the appointment of the first indigenous Inspector-General of Police in 1964 in person of late Mr. Louis Orok Edet. I am aware of the task ahead of me to be the I-G  of a nation which characterized by diversities and contradictions arising from population heterogeneity, urbanization, industrialization and conflicting ideologies on religion, socio-political and economic sectors. A country that is seriously and urgently in demand of the minimum elements of democratic policing which include accountability, efficiency, equality and justice. The situation in Nigeria now is so serious that the conventional ways of doing things can no longer solve our problems judging the fact of the numerous police Inspectors General we have had since independence (fifty years ago) and the image, trust and reputation of the police which have been soiled by the "bad eggs". I will like to re-write the history of Nigeria Police force by making self-sacrifice, take personal risks, not minding stepping on "bad toes"(as done by Nuhu Ribadu) and will be ready to lay down my life for the nation in order to create a new Nigerian Police force with patriotism, integrity, confidence and trust. Uniformed police officers are a visible part of every community. I will create a police force with attitudinal powers to relate with the people thereby making them to play important roles in sustenance of order, legality, development and democracy.

Meanwhile, going back to history, in 1829, Sir Robert Peel established the London Metropolitan Police Force with its headquarters at Scotland Yard on great mission of policing and securing compliance with existing laws and conformity with precepts of social order necessary in all societies for the preservation of order, safety and social relations. The establishment, organisation, control, command and management of the Nigeria Police Force are governed by a colonial legislation (Police Act. CAP 359 of the Laws of the federation of Nigeria 1990) and the 1999 constitution of Nigeria, section 4 of the Police Act provides that "The police shall be employed for the prevention and detention of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the  protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are charged and shall perform such military duties within and without Nigeria as may be required...." The vision of the Nigeria police is "making the country safer and secured for the attainment of national aspiration" and the mission is "to deliver qualitative and efficient security and law enforcement services to the citizens of Nigeria." Police work involves a variety of tasks and responsibilities which involve a lot of self -discipline, patriotism, dedication and hard-work to prevent crime, manage crises and practice their skills. As rightly said by Chinua Achebe in (From the Trouble With Nigeria)-"Leaders are in the language of psychologists role models. People look up to them and copy their actions, behaviours and even mannerisms. Therefore, if a leader lacks discipline, the effect is apt to spread automatically down to the followers" Also one of the world most outstanding actors Clint Eastwood once said:"it takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people's lives".

TO BE CONTINUED.

[sparrow]

Frankly speaking, we have been witnessing a contrary motive of the establishing police force in the last two decades. It is not an exaggeration that there is widespread abuses and corruption in the force to the extend of acquired the reputation of the most corrupt public institution in the country. The inefficiency of the Police force regarding maintenance of law and order became obvious with the widespread kidnappings, institutionalised bribery, extra-judicial killings, unwarranted searches, recurrent waves of brutalities, election malpractices, torture, harassment and loss of personal liberties, frequent armed robbery involving the use of sophisticated weapons, and high casualty just recorded from the previous communal and ethno-religious conflicts that spread across the country. Most recently, the Human Rights Watch researcher, Eric Guttschuss in his recent research work on Nigeria police titled "Everyone is in the game " levelled a shocking allegations that :"innocent people are regularly detained and a fee demanded for their release...the rank-and-file police officers are often forced to pay their senior officers a share of the money extort from the public...people who are assigned to lucrative posts such as roadblocks or working traffic are given monetary targets that they must meet and give back to their superiors...officers who did not meet those monetary targets, they would be punished with a transfer to a less lucrative post" .All these allegations will be looked into critically.
   
My first agenda is to face squarely the issue of bribe and corruption among police officers. I will make a follow-up of what the Minister of Police Affairs ,Alhaji Adamu Wasiri said in Makurdi recently on the federal government consideration to increase the salaries and allowances of officers and men of the Nigerian Police and also to embark on massive facelift and rehabilitation of all police barracks and offices across the country. After this is in progress, I will make a live broadcast (in both radio and television) to announce abolishing of all road blocks and check points throughout the country and that no police officer must receive or extort from any motorist henceforth. All police vehicles will now be used for detaining, patrolling and transporting instead of mounting an illegal road-block. Fines and any legal transaction of money involving public must be paid to the police accredited or designated banks with appropriate receipts. Any police office taking bribe either at police station or on the road will be summarily dismissed  with his or her name and pictures appearing on national dailies, police websites and that person will never be eligible to be voted for in any federal or state government elections. I will seek the cooperation of all members of public and implore them to make necessary voice and photograph recording of any policeman in the act and send it with necessary details to the new Police Force Watch Box to be placed in all federal post offices throughout the country.

TO BE CONTINUED.