The recent national tragedy of plane crashes in Ogun State and Port Harcourt has continued to test our human endurance and expose the level of our development as a society. We are polarized by tragedies that ordinarily should have united us.  There have been reactions from the electorate symbolized this time by the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria and expectedly from the political leadership represented by the Nigeria Police. 

The Nigeria Police maltreatment of the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria as reported by Reuters during their peaceful rally on Friday, December 16, 2005 to protest poor air safety and demand for an overhaul of our aviation industry calls for a reappraisal of our psyche as a nation irrespective of the side we belong.  There have been several attempts from different stakeholders in the recent past to proffer solution to the problem of our delinquent psyche.  The results to date have been sadly inconsequential.  Each tragedy, which appears to be frequent in occurrence these days, continues to expose our vulnerability.

The Concerned Mothers of Nigeria numbering about 200 mobilized themselves and staged a peaceful rally to protest the condition of our aviation industry.  They represented all mothers in Nigeria. They came from diverse backgrounds. They had a common goal. They were attired in black to mourn the loss of all mothers and parents of the victims of the two plane crashes in the last eight weeks where majority of the dead are children. Like fearless Amazons, they marched to the government house to deliver a letter of protest.  Notable among these women were renowned personalities like Prof. Jadesola Akande, Marie Fatayi-Williams, and Bola Belgore. Then, as it happens everywhere around the world, they encountered the Police.  But, as it is peculiar to Nigeria, policewomen prevented the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria from executing their peaceful mission.  The policemen came and fired tear gas at them. Concerned Mothers of Nigeria were harassed, intimated, humiliated, and some arrested.  The institution of motherhood of Africa that the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria represented was desecrated. The Inspector General of Police we learnt had apologized for the use of the teargas. 

Now, what went wrong?  What has the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria done wrong to deserve the kind of treatment they received from the Nigeria Police? Did they violate any law of the land by staging a peaceful protest?  Must they troop out like the Akure women of the 1983 Ajasin-Omoboriowo Crisis who in the early hours of August 16, 1983 allegedly marched naked on the street of Akure metropolis and used unconventional means to set fire on FEDECO building at Oja Oba in Akure using 'ado' (i.e. a potent bomb made from traditional concoction) heralding the Ogun Omoboriowo (i.e. Omoboriowo War) before we respect their action? 

What is the role of the Nigeria Police in times like this when we are thrown into sorrowful mourning of a national grand scale?  Are the political leaders not always reactive?  Could not the IGP apology have been saved and the energy channeled for proactive and effective policing? Could not the Police have been well behaved and better coordinated?  We do not propose to pitch the Nigeria Police against the rest of us.  It gets no one anywhere. But, we the electorate must constantly explore all intelligent means to engage ourselves in providing answers to these soul-searching questions with a view to collaboratively build a Nigeria where all of us can be proud to call our country. 

The Nigeria Police really need to look inward and sanitize itself in order to avoid this type of maltreatment of the electorate they have vowed to protect.  The days ahead promise long knives. The Nigeria Police as the custodian of law and order in the society must be impartial and dispassionate in dispensing justice for and on behalf of both the electorate and political leadership.  They must not take sides as they did on December 16, 2005.  They can only take side with the law. When they take side with the law, it should eschew selective compliance but cover all aspect of the laws of the land in all its ramifications.  They must always upload law and order with full respect for the rights of the individuals.

The Nigeria Police must put system and structure in place to match their aspiration as an institution with the behaviours of their policemen and women on the streets.  This must also be reflected in their chain of command, recruitment philosophy, training, compensation planning, welfare and mode of operations.  The subsisting ideology of the Nigeria Police for effective, accountable and responsive policing is only on paper.  The subsisting motto of the Police "to serve and protect with integrity" is excellent but has not been felt by the electorate.  Their guiding police philosophy of policing with integrity where the notions of justice, fairness and the pursuit of common good will be the focus is yet to touch the life of the common man.

If only political leadership can provide the necessary platform to enable the Nigeria Police implement its 10 - point programme of action which are as follows:

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effective crime prevention and control through intelligence-led policing.

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combat of violent and economic crimes.

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conflict prevention and resolution.

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community policing and police-public partnership.

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zero-tolerance for corruption and indiscipline within the force.

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improved career development, salary and welfare packages to motivate police officers and thereby promote better service delivery and indiscipline.

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re-organization of the investigation outfit of the force to ensure prompt and timely investigation out fit of the force to ensure prompt and timely investigation of cases.

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contribute positively to improving the quality of justice delivery in Nigeria.

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empower field officers operationally by devolution of powers to improve the standards, reliability, consistency and responsiveness of the service and

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reorientate the force public relations department to focus on improving public perception and image of the force.

Our society will be a haven of peace and investments from home and abroad will flow into the country if the men and women in the Nigeria Police can genuinely implement this 10-point programme in their day-to-day interface with the electorate.  The Police are perceived as a threat to the existence of the common man in our society today.  The common man dreads the Police.  It is not that this common man is a criminal.  He is defenseless. The Nigeria Police deals with the common man like the Gestapo. This culture of aggressive and reactive policing typical of political police force is counterproductive and must be exorcised from our society.  The Nigeria Police must earn its credibility as a service institution. 

The average Police are hungry and angry at the system.  The same system that the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria protest against neglects the welfare of the Police.  This Police do not appreciate the far-reaching implications of the rally of the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria.  Their logic is that these women are protesting because they are full and to them this does not add up.  Political leadership must give urgent attention and resources to reform and improve the Nigeria Police in order to change their psyche.  The Police must earn the trust and respect of the electorate if they are going to be effective.  Political leadership must improve the conditions of service, welfare and provide the resource required by the Police to enable them discharge their duties effectively in our society. 

We need the Police. We do not need an oppressive Nigeria Police.  We cannot afford to allow local militias to roam our street engaging in jungle justice of killing, maiming of people for vendettas, and without recourse to the laws of the land.  We need a Police that can assist the electorate stamp out corruption.  We need a Nigeria Police that can uphold the dignity of life and human rights. We need a leadership that will check police abuse, police intimidation, extortion, reactive and political policing, unlawful detention, torture and extra judicial killings in our society. Beyond apology, the Policewomen and men that constituted the team that harassed the Concerned Women of Nigeria must be sanctioned to restore public confidence in the Nigeria Police and convince the electorate that there is equity in our society.

The Nigeria Police is a political police.  They must be re-orientated to become a society-friendly Police.  The slogan of the Police is your friend does not convince a Thomas in Nigeria.  Our leadership must reengineer the Police service for proactive policing. They must promote dialogue and cooperation between the police and local communities.  The Police Community Relations Committee must do more than merely meeting for discourse but take practical steps to support both the police and the electorate. The Police and the electorate must collaborate, and the former should deliver social service to the later instead of always reacting as they have done to the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria.

The truth is constant, whichever way you turn.  Unusually, I struggled to conclude this article.  At a time, I contemplated dropping the idea of writing on the Nigeria Police.  As a writer, you risk being labeled an opportunist if you are perceived apologetic towards political leadership. On the other hand, you are spreading hate, revel in bashing the government and never see any good in political leadership, if you expose their inefficiencies and call for a change.  I decided to finish the article following the latest events that played out in the aviation industry this week. As an active member of the electorate, I choose to support the eternal struggle of the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria and advocate that the political leadership should efficiently serve the people who entrust them with the responsibilities of governance.  The cause of the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria has always had a justification. The last two near-crashes of another Bellview and EAS Airlines few days after the aborted rally should convince all parties, particularly the Gestapo-like Policewomen and men that the cause of the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria has its merits.

A Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 made an emergency landing in Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra on December 19, 2005. The plane sent a distress call while approaching KIA, the pilot declared an emergency during descent to land because of a hydraulic system failure and burst a tyre as it landed.  Although there was no casualty, the experience would no doubt have been traumatic for the 4 crewmembers and 63 passengers board. 

Nigeria Today Online reported that EAS airline aborted a flight mid air on December 20, 2005 whilst on a scheduled flight from Abuja to Lagos because of an engine problem it developed mid air.  There were over 100 passengers on board.  It was alleged that reports said that the pilot battled frantically to control the plane while passengers literally said their last prayers.  The plane reportedly tried but failed to gain altitude after takeoff.  Again, we could visualize the trauma that both passengers and crew would have experienced in the air.  They would remember Bellview that went down in Ogun State. They would remember Sosoliso that crashed in Port Harcourt. They would remember their own families. They would remember their loved ones. They would agonize over an inept political leadership. 

We all see why honourable women came out to protest the terrible state of our airlines and the shoddiness of our disaster and emergency management.  The Nigeria Police should smart up and understand what this whole protest is all about before they abort justice in the name of protecting the law.  Those who fail to learn from history are usually forgotten when the future comes. 

Rosa Parks lives.  In Montgomery, she refused to move to the back of the bus for a fellow who discriminated against her.  She was courageous. She stood against humiliation and injustice of segregation. Her action sparked a revolution. Today, Rosa Parks is an inspiration to millions of women all over the world. 

When Prof. Jadesola Akande will be enlisted in the hall of fame when the future comes, the policewomen who maltreated her will live in infamy. 

When Marie Fatayi-Williams is honoured for her bravery, the policewomen who tried to do their master's dirty jobs will be consigned to the dustbin of history. 

When Bola Belgore and the other valiant women are honoured, the policemen that fired teargas at them will have their names in the hall of shame. 

While we wait for the future, the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria have been vindicated that the aviation industry requires an urgent attention. 

Rosa Parks herself said, "I have learned that in order to bring about change, one must take the first step, or else it will not be done."

A revolution for change has started.  

The Concerned Mothers of Nigeria have taken the first step. 

History will vindicate all of us. 

The forces of the Nigeria Police cannot stop this wind of change. 

Babatunde Ayoola Fajimi, Accra Ghana

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Robot  # 1 | 22.12.2005 10:09

We need the Police. We do not need an oppressive Nigeria Police. We need a Police that c...Read the full article.

Unregistered  # 2 | 22.12.2005 16:15

Babatunde, Your analogy is faulted. Fighting Racism is quite a different venture from fighting air disaster. Aviation Regulatory Authorities should be blamed, Sosoliso Management should be blamed and steps should be taken to avert future occurence while relief is given the berieved. Don't make this a Nigeria Police issue. Lets concentrate on AVIATION. Concerned women had the right to Protest Governmental Innefficiency, it is a constitutional right. Guaranteed. Ehindero has appologised and the matter should be laid to rest. But lets reason together: Is it wise to proceed through Ikeja Roundabout without adequate Police Cover? (Over 1Million commuters on that Avenue daily) Should an ASTHMA PATIENT join such procession? Your observations about Nigeria police are just about right but Ehindero has taken the heat out of the matter by appologising.

emj  # 3 | 24.12.2005 16:24

Thank u fajimi for your indept analysis of the subject in question. It is not enough for the Inspector General of Police to reluctantly apologise, there is need for reform programme for the police and the aviation sector of the economy. The Concerned mothers did well by coming out to march to draw the attention of government to the fact that the decadence in the aviation sector should not be buried, nor allowed to continue. They stepped out to reject the evil visited upon Nigerians by the Govt and the operators of death traps and air-coffins. Who is the Govt, Aviation Minister, NACA, and indeed the Nigerian police accountable to, if not we the electorate, i.e provided we are still operating democracy.