The police is your friend
These golden words, which glisten with the gold dust of some of Nigeria`s finest public relations ironically strike Nigerians with the force of a horse whip. Nigerians have always had a testy, stormy relationship with their police. Where there should be affirmation, there is aggravation; where there should be trust, there is treachery; where there […]
These golden words, which glisten with the gold dust of some of Nigeria`s finest public relations ironically strike Nigerians with the force of a horse whip.
Nigerians have always had a testy, stormy relationship with their police. Where there should be affirmation, there is aggravation; where there should be trust, there is treachery; where there should be compassion, there is consternation. So, the love-hate cycle has continued.
Against this background, news that Mr. Nnaji Ebenezer Chibueze, a Corporal of the Nigerian Police Force, recently got his PhD in Educational Administration and Planning from the Abia State University warmed the cockles of many hearts. Also, come the December 8, 2021, Mr. Simon Lough, a lawyer and an Assistant Commissioner of Police, will make a sparkling ascent into the inner bar as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. A first.
Although Nigerians wish their police well, suspicion has long simmered about their temperament and training. Also, Nigerians have always questioned the rigour that goes into their recruitment and reskilling having witnessed their protectors become plunderers under pecuniary pressure.
To walk into many police stations across the country is to walk into veritable dungeons of depression with decrepit buildings competing with dilapidated desks for the attention. Of course, Nigerians want police stations to be places of welcome even for suspects about to be subjected to judicial scrutiny.
In spite of the extremely dangerous work, they do and the many sacrifices they make to keep Nigeria`s many master criminals at bay, when they die in the line of duty, Nigeria`s bureaucracy clicks into its most ponderous gear, leaving their heartbroken families stranded.
Nigerians want a sanitised police force; Nigerians want a police force that is painstakingly professional and well-trained; Nigerians want a well-armed and well-remunerated police force; Nigerians would not mind for a second if the monthly pay packs of policemen get bigger than the humongously unjustifiable pay packets Nigerian ministers and legislators take home for doing comparatively less.
To achieve this, corruption must be put to flight. This is even more critical now that a fresh round of recruitment is about to be undertaken into the Nigerian Police Force.
Congratulations to Messrs. Nnaji Ebenezer Chibueze and Simon Lough. If they listen well, they will hear the rapturous applause of awestruck Nigerians. But until the police force is rid of its rotten eggs, Nigerians will remain hard-pressed to tell whether the police is friend or foe.
Kenechukwu Obiezu can be reached via [email protected]