Corruption has become a cankerworm that impedes economic, social and political developments in Nigeria, placing us constantly within the top three of many NGOs' list of most corrupt nations in the world. It is highly disturbing that the Nigeria police which statutory responsibilities include combating corruption at all levels of our corporate existence has disappointedly become a brazen custodian of the sharp practices it was established to fight.

The recently published Nigeria corruption Index for 2007 by a Lagos-based NGO, Independent Advocacy Project, which rated the Nigeria police as the most corrupt government institution brought further despair rather than hope to most Nigerians who have longed for a corrupt-free society.

Beginning from Tafa Balogun who was dismissed and convicted for stealing over N11billion, and now Sunday Ehindero who is at the centre of a N21million scam believed to be part of an undisclosed large sum that was caught while it was being smuggled out of the Force Headquarters in the thick of the night; it goes without saying that not even the succeeding heads of the force are excluded in the rot that has been made of the Nigeria Police

While Nigerians are still confounded over the N21 million thefts, another N354million fraud has again been uncovered at the Force Headquarters. Other allegations about which Ehindero may have explanations to give include the duty allowances of officers and men of the force who took part in the April 2007 elections as well as allowances of officers who went on peace-keeping missions in Darfur and Liberia.

There couldn't have sincerely been an efficient police force in the face of monumental embezzlements by men at the top. The best such could give us is an ill-equipped force full of officers and men who have been alienated from their statutory role of maintaining law and order in addition to protecting lives and property of Nigerians.

The greatest import of the trouble with the Nigeria police is that the force in its present form and structure needs fundamental transformation and restructuring with a renewed chain of command. Further training and retraining of the rank and file of the force is strategic to changing this unbecoming trend and also to turn around the battered image and uncultured orientation within the police force.

In order to rid the Nigeria police of corruption, government should make it mandatory for all police officers from the rank of commissioners of police to publicly declare their assets on appointment or promotion to such ranks and update same after every four years until their retirement from active service. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with the Police Public Relations (PPR) department should produce stickers that will be distributed to citizens at police checkpoints and police stations as part of the campaign against institutional corruption in the force.

The stickers should carry inscriptions such as "Do not give the police bribes", "You will be arrested if you give bribes to any policeman", "I do not give bribes" or "The police do not accept bribes". Nigerians should be encouraged to put these stickers on their private and public vehicles and in their offices too. The PPR department should also be encouraged to introduce weekly or monthly newsletter through which the Nigerian public will be kept informed of its activities especially in the fight against corruption within the force. Such news bulletins should carry particulars and photographs of officers and men of the police force who have been found guilty of any corrupt practices. Unless government resolves to take these and other necessary measures to overhaul and redirect the Nigeria Police, the desire to deliver it of corruption will continue to remain a mirage.