Aghahowa A. Godwin
5 January 2009
opinion
The recent reorganization of Federal Government Ministries by Mr. President Umaru Yar'adua that separated the Nigeria Police Force from the Ministry of Interior is a welcome development.
This has probably laid to rest the wrangling for supremacy between the services that made up the erstwhile Interior Ministry.
If anything, these other services were established as support Services to the Police, which is the arrow-head of the nation's internal security apparatus. Unfortunately, the Nigerian factor began to play out as each one sees himself as superior at any point in time, almost eroding the desired unity they actually stood for. Suspicion ruled the minds of the personnel with demonic and erroneous intensity, a feeling that one was out to take away the function of the other while there were accusations and counter accusations about one looking down on the other.
This dangerous rivalry was predominant among all level of personnel. The only string that held them together was the responsible disposition of the God fearing Service Chiefs and the mature display of brotherhood and esprit de corps by the Inspector-General of Police who work and reason together as good patriots to ensure that the 7-points agenda of Mr. President succeeds.
The frequent skirmishes between the services were professionally handled by these selected men of virtue, who displayed unfeigned integrity, respect and the propensity for cooperation among themselves. The Hon. Minister's administrative genus further consolidated the union and the peaceful coexistence.
As if the president knows before hand that eggs and metal do not go in the same basket. His purposeful leadership zeal to make the 7-points agenda succeed, he had to separate these unfriendly friends before it goes awry and gets out of hand. The Police Force had been the weeping baby since its inception. It has come a long way with a long history of successes and long history of challenges no doubt but a lot had to be done to rediscover the real Nigeria Police.
No child should be babied while another is offered to the hyena to bite. The good plan that Mr. President conceived for the Police is a thing of Joy, but would the police itself wake up to its bidding to flow along this part of rediscovery, to be or not to be?
Frantic search for the enemy of the Police was futile until the new discovery that the real enemy of the Nigeria Police is not the Military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) Immigration or Prisons Services, no, not even the habitual criminals. The real enemy is the Police itself, in all ramifications.
The esprit de corps, to say the least, is a farce. In the defense of this aspect, the Police is actually trained to investigate crime and therefore do not hide any, even the crime committed by a close brother. The Policeman has no friend. That is not to say that the maxim "The Police is your friend" is out of place. If the Policeman discovers the author of a crime, no matter who is involved, he would be a Policeman without equivocation, he would expose you. Again, the erroneous belief that the Police would reveal the identity of informants is not also true, our commercial informants after helping the Police with useful information are known to boast about their assistance leading to the successful arrest of hardened criminal, thus revealing their own secret, not the Police in all cases.
The hungry among the fold, no doubt, engage themselves in some bizarre activities, which has dented the image of the Police Force.
There is much the President would do to bring back the lost glory and make the best of these men and women who nevertheless are Nigerians. They need love, care, comfort, protection etc. At any of the United Nations' peace keeping expedition, you see them in positive action and wonderful performance, they return to Nigeria with hard currencies and then build houses, buy good cars, set up business for the family and then shun evil in their father land. This opportunity is limited though, the Police authority could spread this goodies! A good number would stand for the desired change and shun the monster called corruption. Foreign missions or oversea courses have become the birthright of selected few, what a pity.
As the Police Force move to their own Ministry, exclusive for the Police, will the desired change come? I doubt. Opinion poll in the Police circle reveals that many would want the ministry to be headed by a minister who would be effective in bringing about desired changes within the Force. But for the powers that be the desired minister must be the type that would cooperate so that the same old music would play on. Imagine, in the name of Police Affairs Directorate, big contracts were awarded and supervised by men who do not know what night duties look like, some have their children overseas, because they were at where things are happening in the Police Ministry. They mechanized the Police salary and handled projects.
Each year, barracks are awarded for renovation, contractors would paint the front and the side walls facing the road side, leaving the inside building and the backsides, the ant eaten doors and windows are replaced with soft white wood that is fated to be eaten by termites before the next financial year. Have you ever imagined, why the building structures, built in the late sixties are still standing firm and beautiful, while those built very recently in the early eighties are already eaten up by ants, with depressed roof, doors and windows worn out? The answer is not far fetched. These various projects were supervised, inspected and passed as completed and payment effected. Staff of the Ministry who continued to pose as good and expert inspectors have at various time and place certified these projects completed and payment effected.
As soon as the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) and Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) took over the duties of inspecting and authenticating the completed projects located all over the state commands, payments were effected without delay. There was this hue and cry by these traditional project inspectors. Their hopelessness knew no bound, thus the blackmail and some other unholy propaganda and the various instigated rumour mills and the unnecessary heat generated in the Ministry of Interior.
How can the Police authority award contracts to supply accoutrement for Rank and File, including shoes, belts, buttons etc, these unscrupulous ministry staff, would connive with some 'criminal' contactors and receive shoes manufactured with synthetic rubber instead of leather shoes and belt, painted button, which peels off after few days of us, can we continue like this? This is the message of Mr. President.
Fellow Nigerians, let us join the favored train of corruption-free society and leave the adamant behind. Let's joint Mr. President's Vision 20-2020, train and you we shall get there.
Godwin is former Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to the Minister of Interior.
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