Buses for the police?

Nowadays when police commands are sending their athletes to a competition they rely on their state governors to provide them with buses from state Transport Authorities to convey the athletes to competition venue.  Yet these governors on various occasions purchase vehicles in aid of the Police, such as Pick-Up Vans, Hilux, Motor-bikes and even equipments […]

Nowadays when police commands are sending their athletes to a competition they rely on their state governors to provide them with buses from state Transport Authorities to convey the athletes to competition venue.  Yet these governors on various occasions purchase vehicles in aid of the Police, such as Pick-Up Vans, Hilux, Motor-bikes and even equipments such as Helmets, Walkie-Talkies and Bullet Proof Vests. The governors ought to know that the Police also need buses to convey them to venue of ceremonial parades, i.e. Independence Parade, Armed Forces Remembrance Day Parade etc. The Police also need the buses for social events such as marriage ceremonies, Religious activities and conveyance of dead colleagues for burial at distant places.

It is high time that Commissioners of Police in the State Commands made Special request to their Governors to provide them with buses.  It is a sorry sight for the way Police personnel are being made to wait for hours on the parade ground with their arms each year after each of the parades mentioned above waiting for vehicles to convey them back to the Barracks. The same situation applies to Customs, Immigration, Prison and Civil Defence Corps Personnel. Both Federal and State Governments should make necessary arrangements to provide buses to evacuate them immediately after the parade to alleviate their suffering.

As for IGP Abubakar this is an ideal opportunity for him to approach the Federal Government through Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme.  (SURE) for purchase of buses for the Police. The Police need hundreds of buses both large and medium sizes. For example, each state police command, each police college and each police band stand need buses. There are also zonal Commands, Police Academy, Staff College and Departments such as Force CID and its annexes etc to cater for.  Force Headquarters Central Pool must have many buses of various sizes in good condition at all times.  I do not need to tell the IGP that both Federal and State Governments are busy buying buses for Mass Transit under SURE Programme. It is now time for action.

S. B. Mohammed, CP. (rtd), Kaduna.