IGP Idris’ confirmation: A call to walk the talk

The confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, this last Wednesday, by the National Council of State, has brought to an end the period of waiting and apprehension. Mr. Idris’ appointment over and above other aspirants to the enviable position of IGP did actually generate surprise, shock and angst in some quarters. Expectedly, it also evoked […]

The confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, this last Wednesday, by the National Council of State, has brought to an end the period of waiting and apprehension. Mr. Idris’ appointment over and above other aspirants to the enviable position of IGP did actually generate surprise, shock and angst in some quarters. Expectedly, it also evoked excitement and sense of accomplishment in other quarters.
The mixed grill reaction was as a result of the unprecedented interest shown by individuals and groups in the run-down to the announcement of the ultimate choice of the President. Massive campaign in the mass media, lobbying by godfathers, traditional rulers and political party chieftains were deployed on a scale never seen before the appointment of an IGP.
Not a few hinged their choice of candidate on the rather pedestrian parameters of the imperatives of geo-political, regional, religious and ethnic balancing. At the end of the day, President Buhari decided to use the criteria of proven track records of diligence in service as well as passing the litmus test of integrity.
Mr. Ibrahim Idris is coming on the saddle as the nation’s number one police officer at a time of intriguing security challenges, almost in all the nooks and crannies of the country. He is expected, as it is, not only to rise to the occasion by optimizing all available human and material resources of the force, but he must also be innovative, put on his thinking cap and literally think out of the box.
The police have been suffering over the years, the tragedies of neglect that have manifested in paucity of operational equipment, shortage of manpower with the resultant lowering of morale, despondency and of course, inefficiency.
Mr. Idris as the IGP is also inheriting a police force ravaged by the cankerworm of corruption. Because of the menace of malfeasance, the image of the police before the public has been that of disdain and worse. He has, in obvious appreciation of these myriad of challenges, so far made pronouncements stressing his commitment to the daunting task of rejuvenating and refocusing the police force. He must walk his talk because Nigerians have had the experience of lofty, encouraging words from almost all his predecessors only to be disappointed in the end. For instance, every of his former predecessors had ordered removal of the irksome and unrewarding spectacle of ‘road blocks’ on the nation’s highways. Butafter such public pronouncements, citizens would continue to have to put up with the odious points of extortion that the check points in reality represent.
While this writer believes that the Inspector General of Police has all that is required to take the Nigerian Police to higher heights, as an insider of currents in the agency, the last bits of words of advice may not be unconnected with unfolding, unsettling developments around the person of the quintessential police officer.
Ahmad wrote in from Kaduna.