Uwem Umo
28 January 2002
President Olusegun Obasanjo has waded into the threats by the junior officers of the Nigeria Police to embark on a nationwide strike beginning on February 1.
Consequently, the president has summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Affairs minister for an emergency crucial meeting to find ways of averting the strike in the interest of peace and national security.
Informed police sources told Daily Trust yesterday in Abuja that the emergency meeting between the presidency and the top hierarchy of the police to be led by the IGP is to quickly arrive at some solutions aimed at meeting some of the demands of the restive police rank and file.
On his part, the IGP is said to have been holding series of meetings with his top officers on how to checkmate the strike.
For instance, he went into a close door meeting with top police officers last Friday, in which all officers present at the meeting were unanimous that the demands by the rank and file of the police force were genuine rather than the thinking of government that the planned strike was the handiwork of "agents of destabilisation."
Responding to informed source, the IGP has been labouring tirelessly through the various state police commissioners and Assis-tant Inspectors-General of Police in charge of zones throughout the federation to educate the men about the non-payment of their housing allowance as a matter entirely within the responsibility of government instead of the notion by policemen that the police top hierarchy may have embezzled the money allocated for that purpose.
However, while the police boss and the Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Steven Akiga are said to be preparing for the meeting with Presidency officials, the police authorities are fine-tuning other strategies aimed at scuttling the proposed strike.
Even though senior police officers may tacitly support their surbordinates, the police authorities intend to rely heavily on the Senior Police Officers (SPOs) to whip the men into line.
For instance, commen-cing from today, the force headquarters has directed that all State Police Commi-ssioners, Area commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) should publish daily orders educating the men on the implications of the strike and the need to achieve their demands through dialogue.
Part of measures to break the strike also include a strict directive to all senior police officers including state police commissioners to be in office on February 1, day of the commencement of the strike, while DPOs and the Divisional Crime Officers (DCOs), Divisional Traffic Officers (DTOs) and all other heads of departments and sections are expected to take a roll call of men under them and account for the whereabouts of everybody.
Those exempted are the ones attached to very important persons (VIPs), those on special duties and those genuinely sick while all officers and men on annual leave have been recalled.
Meanwhile, the police delegation expected to meet with the presidency, according to sources, have concluded plans to ensure that government makes a categorical pronouncement on the payment of housing and lodging allowances to the entire rank and file of the police force as one of the strategies to douse the strike threat.
Also, the issue of promotion which also affects the officers is meant to be addressed once and for all while government will also be expected to set up a panel to review police salary.
It will be recalled that representatives of the rank and file of the entire police force met recently under the aegis of Junior Police Officers Association (JPOA) and issued a 10-point demand to be met urgently or they commence a strike from January 31, 2002, the first in the history of the Nigeria police and the country.
The rank and file are demanding among others:
* that salaries and allowances for constables be equivalent to that of local government area councillors.
* that all police graduates within the rank and file be promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
* that all police officers from constables to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) that have stayed on one rank for more than five years be promoted immediately to the next rank.
* the normal duty hours be reversed from the present 12 to eight hours.
* that any duty above eight hours be regarded as overtime and paid accordingly.
* that payment of January to December 2001 lodging allowance must be paid complete on or before 31 January 2002.
* prompt payment of monthly salaries on or before the 22nd of every month.
* eradication of Cadet ASP and Inspectors enlistment that precludes serving members.
* total eradication of quota system in terms of promotion.
* promotion of all policemen within the rank and file to the rank of inspector on or before 31st January, 2002.
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