THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE WE WANT
Many Nigerians are still bewildered at how London has inescapably become a ‘home away from home’ for President Muhammadu Buhari but lovers of the retired Major General want us to be thankful and find feckless solace in his ability to govern the nation from a foreign land. Since Buhari arrived in London, he has made three vital announcements. One of the three is the untimely removal of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu and the immediate announcement of Usman Baba as his successor (in an acting capacity) and 12th IGP since 1999. We’re not talking about Buhari today but the new Inspector General of Police. It is not strange that Nigeria is in a perilous time of insecurity. In the same vein, the work before the 21st indigenous IGP is unambiguous. The challenges confronting the Nigerian police are not imported. Neither will the solutions to them. It only requires a will to tackle them. For when there is a will, there is a way.
The proliferation of unauthorized, illegal, and pointless police checkpoints (also known as roadblocks) across major highways in the country is fast becoming a menace. Many checkpoints across the country have rapidly transformed into a point of extortion or even an active crime scene depending on the mood of the policemen. Nigerians traveling across the country do not feel safe because policemen tasked with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties are perceived as corrupt, uncouth, and unprofessional. This perception, unfortunately, is accurate because ‘parting with something’ is a prevalent culture at police roadblocks across the nation. My last interstate trip was from Lagos to Abuja. I lost count of naira notes our driver parted with at police checkpoints to ensure a smooth journey. It is difficult to travel 5km without seeing a police roadblock. There are numerous cases of stolen vehicles driven as far as Lagos to Abuja but unnoticed by all the policemen at the various roadblocks along that path because they lost focus of their duty. Let’s stop the deceit. The numerous police roadblocks across the country are doing more harm than good to commuters. It is a mini-financial institution that is more concerned about the search for naira notes than incriminating deeds. Many of these illegal roadblocks has affected the economic and commercial activities of various places in the country. Significant man-hours are lost and productivity is reduced. Mr. Usman must order the eradication of illegal roadblocks immediately and mandate the legal checkpoints to conduct their duty with uttermost professionalism and respect. Stories of citizens encountering policemen at legitimate roadblocks must change from bitter to sweet experiences.
Similarly, the new IGP must urgently address matters relating to the welfare of the police force. You can change a man’s uniform but if you don’t change the man in the uniform, you have done nothing. According to a report by the World Internal Security and Police Report Index, Nigeria’s police force is among the worst in the world below DR Congo, Kenya, and Uganda. The Nigerian police lack funding and its thin workforce have been stretched by Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, vicious banditry in the north, kidnappings, and rampaging killer herdsmen crisis in the south and middle belt. Before now, many promises have been by the presidency and previous IGPs to improve the welfare of the police but little or no significant progress is evident. Previous reports and ratings have ascribed the poor state of the force to corruption. Many police stations are not in good shape. A lot of policemen are disgruntled with their job and can wreak havoc with a gun. The transformation of our policing starts with the overhauling of the police force which will, in turn, have a positive effect on its personnel. If the new IGP doesn’t look into this, he would have done nothing different from his predecessors at the end of his time in office. Prestige must be returned to the force and deep-rooted institutional issues must be addressed immediately if he desires success on the job.
In addition, all policemen attached to VIPs must be recalled immediately to the stations or other appropriate places. Past IGPs have made this call but it was in vain as policemen meant to protect lives and properties of the masses are still being seen in large numbers flocking around ‘big men’. The Nigerian police force is short-staffed. It will only make sense if the force withdraws the officers distributed to VIPs. Let VIPs engage private security firms. The primary place of assignment for every Nigerian police is the police station. This time round, the compliance to the directive must be monitored to the latter. The culture of deploying police to serve as a watchdog for big men at the detriment of the common man, whom they are supposed to serve, must be eliminated immediately. No one is above the law in Nigeria and the common man needs the police than the VIPs. We shouldn’t have more policemen at a VIP’s residence than at the police station. The IGP must restore public trust in the police. The police must be the friend of every Nigerian, not the narrow elites alone.
There are more matters the IGP must address but these are the minors upon which the majors will rest. Being a police officer is a noble profession all over the world but the prestige associated with the job has eroded in Nigeria. Restoring the Nigerian Police to its rightful place must be followed through with thoroughness and grit. Without these, Usman Baba’s tenure will be like a snake that walked upon the rocks whose track is invisible. The pen is in his hands to rewrite history for himself and for the force. The request of Nigerians isn’t extreme. I wish him a successful tenure.
Olamide Francis is a writer, journalist, and social change agent in the public interest. He tweets @olamidefrancis
