Leadership (Abuja)
Esther Eziashi
27 March 2009
Abuja — Determined to tap from the re-branding campaign, the Police have solicited the partnership of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in its drive to reposition the over 370,000-strong police force and shore up its battered image.
This was as the authorities announced the death of six of its men on Wednesday in Delta State and the setting up of an insurance scheme to provide a lifeline for officers and men of the police who lost their lives in the cause of performing official duty for the country.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sir Mike Okiro, who made the appeal when the Minister of Information and Communication, Professor Dora Akunyili, visited him at the Police headquarters in Abuja, pointed out that there was no way the country can carry out an effective re-branding exercise without first taking care of the various facets of the Nigerian society.
Okiro eulogised the minister for visiting him, saying that, "There is no way you can re-brand Nigeria effectively and successfully without re-branding the various sections that make up Nigeria; the various organisations, units, ministries, parastatals and the individuals beginning with the Nigerian Police".
He explained that the Police is the only organisation with the largest work-force in the country, stressing that "If we can re-brand the Nigerian Police Force effectively, we can equally re-brand all other workers", even as he disclosed that the Nigerian Police Force had already embarked on re-branding of its men with the setting up of the Police X-Squad, an internal re-branding mechanism by the Police hierarchy to regulate the conduct of its men.
The inspector general of Police further explained that "re-branding is a reorientation and movement from what is bad to what is good, and a movement from what is good to what is better", hence the Police determination to collaborate with the ministry to ensure that the security agency is re-branded.While speaking on other sundry issues, the IGP however, explained that a peoples' best can only be obtained if their welfare is guaranteed, and stressed that "re-branding of the society or country can not be effective if it does not come from the individuals.Okiro pointed out that provision of welfare for the police force is to make sure that officers, right from their inner mind, are re-branded individually, so that the collective exercise will be a success.
While also appealing to the Nigerian movie producers as well as musicians to always project the Nigerian police in good light the Police boss disclosed that the authorities were working on other welfare schemes, including automatic scholarship for the children of its men and the families of those who died in the cause of duty.
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CENTRALISE THE POLICE IS THE ANSWER AND NOT REBRANDING .IN AMERICA ,BRITAIN E.T.C THE COUNTRY POLICE IS NOT 100% IN THE HAND OF ONE MAN EVERY STATE SUPOSE TO HAV AUTONOMOUS POWER OVER THEIR OWN POLICE THERE BY GIVING ACOUNT OF THEIR ACTIVITIES TO THE WHO EVER APOINTED BY THE FEDRAL GORVERNMENT .AT THE SAME AVENUE BEING SUPORTED BY THE FEDRAL GORVERNMENT TO THE STATE;S POLICE . LETS ABANDONE THIS POLICE ( I . G .) IT IS A CURUPT BODY BEING USED BY THE LEADERS AND INDIVIDUALS TO CONTINUE MALPRATICES IN ELECTIONS AND OTHER AREAS IN THE SOCIETY THERE BY GIVING THE SO CALLED ( I. G . P ) THE POWER TO CURUPTION AND EMBESLEMENT .IF THE FEDRAL WANT TO FORM A NEW FORCE IT IS POSIBLE AFTER ALL AMERICAN HAV DIFFRENT KINDS OF SECURITY FORCES LIKE F . B .I AND WE HAV THE POPULATION OF YUTHS AND INDIVIDUALS JOBLESS AND A LOT OF GRADUATES AND DROP OUTS ROMING ABAUT THE COUNTRY SEEKING FOR JOBS YET THE GORVERNMENT WILL SAY THEIR IS NO JOB .
NIGERIA AS COUNTRY WITH POPULATION OF OVER 150 MILLION PEOPLE NEED AT LEAST A MINIMUN OF FIVE MILLION POLICE FORCE TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE INTIRE NATION THERE BY MAKING THE POLICE FORCE LOOK ATRACTIVE BY EDUCATING THEM VERY WELL, RETIRING THE OLD PEOPLE IN THE FORCE , RECRIUTING MORE YOUNG PEOPLE FIT ENOUGH TO HANDLE THEIR DUTIES , PAYMENT OF SUITABLE SALARIES AND ALOWANCES THAT WILL PAVE WAY TO BRIBRY AN CURUPTION AND MORE IMPORTANTLY KIT THE POLICE WITH GOOD UNIFORM , SHOES AND BEST EQUIPMENTS TO USE TO DELIVER THEIR DUTIES VERY WELL THERE BY COMANDING RESPECT AMONG THEMSELVES AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
The buzz word lately that has echoed and continues to dominate the media and family kitchen table conversations both at home and in the Diaspora is Re-Branding Nigeria.
It is not true that Nigerians do not know that they have a problem given that they are endowed with avalanche of natural resources, highly skilled and unskilled labor force and very clement climatic conditions and yet they cannot live out their God given potentials
What are the problems: If you interview one hundred Nigerians you would get one hundred different answers but some responses would be appearing consistently. The problem is simple; lack of will and integrity to do the right things and shun corruption.
Attitude is everything and whatever you garbage in, is what you garbage out. The Nigerian police force is the microcosm of the society and it reflects the over all mind set of Nigerians from the Wheel-Barrow pusher in the market to the President. To say that Nigeria is a corrupt nation is not an overstatement statement but no sincere concrete policy is in place to curtail this anomaly. Previous efforts to attain this goal like WIA and presently the establishment of EFCC have been resisted and rebuffed by the leadership hence Mr. Nuhu Ribadu was chased out of the police in disgrace. So how dire Mr. Okiro talk about re-branding the Police force other than toying with a new buzz word?
There is a reason why the Nigeria police have not been de-centralized because it serves the purpose of continued corruption for the power that be. The IGP knows that the over 370,000 police force is oversized for one man to effectively supervise. Mr. Okiro must be omnipresent to oversee this bulwark outfit effectively.
The answer is simple; De-centralize the Nigeria police with some federal control by way of funding. Allow individual states, local, and City/township governments to form and run their police force according to needs and resources. Effectively train the police force by equipping it with knowledge of the constitution civil liberty and human rights, Provide good incentives - good pay, health and life insurance benefits, Communications equipment and deserving and imposing Uniforms.
The present multi-layer structure of the force makes it difficult for accountability and probity and allows for mismanagement. Nigerians should stop ostentatious living and live within their means. Everybody in Nigeria is a Chief, Sir, Lady or Lolo but no Indians. There are mega houses in Nigeria but no good roads, running water, good healthcare facilities and food.
Nigeria is a super rich nation but has nothing to show for the money, where is the money? Unfortunately stashed away in foreign land. Security and investment climate is not attainable until Nigeria first distributes the wealth equitably and provides the afore-mentioned amenities.