Okiro's definition of 'service'
By Levi Obijiofor

IF the Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, made the statements credited to him in the Daily Sun newspaper of Tuesday this week, the future of the police force in Nigeria is critically dim. When a man appointed to lead the police in the fight against crimes (including the enhancement of peace and security of lives and property) talks about dying only for the man who pays police salaries and grants police requests, we must be worried.

Alluding to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as the modern day Father Christmas who should be protected by all means, Okiro, according to the Daily Sun, told no fewer than 500 police officers in Zone 2 Lagos headquarters on Monday this week: "If someone pays you good wages and takes care of your welfare, you must be ready to die for that person. Now policemen should stop collecting N20 on the road because the president is doing his best for us and we must also be at our best." In simple terms, Okiro would have no problems sacrificing his life for the president. That is the hallmark of a dedicated presidential bodyguard. But it is also a condescending remark.

Technically, Okiro is not Yar'Adua's official bodyguard. Okiro was appointed as police boss so he could provide a service to the nation. Service to the nation is not the same thing as service to one man, whether that man is the president or not. The security and safety of the president is the responsibility of secret service agents and a host of other security outfits in the country. What is deeply worrying is that an Inspector-General of Police would die for a president on the basis that the president has increased police salaries and allowances. What if the president refuses to increase police salaries?

Okiro has debased the integrity of the police. His comments suggest the police would be willing to offer their service to anyone who throws money in their direction. Is the police now an auction item, available only to the highest bidder? Okiro's understanding of the meaning of service, as it applies to the police force, is bizarre.

Taking the argument one step further, would Okiro be prepared to die for dubious millionaires who donate money and equipment to help uplift the operational efficiency of the police? There is no reason why an increase in police salaries and allowances should constitute a barometer for measuring how seriously the police should take their job. Regular payment of police salaries or an increase in police salaries and allowances should never be perceived as a special presidential gift. Every labourer deserves his or her wages. The police are employed by the Nigerian state. Logically, the state has an obligation to pay the salaries of those who work for it.

As evidence of Okiro's muddled view of the role of the police in society, nowhere did he refer to the duty of the police to protect the rest of society. Clearly, Okiro believes that the first obligation of the police is not to the society at large but to the man who grants police requests. And that man is Yar'Adua. The rest of us can jump into the sea. Okiro won't lose a hair. If you need police protection you must pay for it, directly or indirectly. That much we can deduce from Okiro's comments.

Okiro also said, in the Daily Sun report, that major transformations are taking place within the police force. Up until his latest revelations, the police had complained consistently about lack of basic equipment, including lack of vehicles for effective policing and for crime detection and prevention. If we must believe Okiro, things have changed for good. And Okiro, grinning from ear to ear, can't contain his joy.

He told his audience on Monday this week: "In Lagos, we're building 5000 units at a go. We got 24 houses in Abuja distributed to rank and file and I've paid for 78 flats in Maraba area of Abuja, as well as 24 two-bedroom flats for Assistant Commissioners of Police. The Ekiti State government also gave some houses to the police... I got a company that has supplied Honda cars, for policemen to pay. For the cheapest one, a policeman will pay N7, 000 every month for five years. I want to see a Sergeant driving brand new Honda car and Inspectors will get Toyota cars."

The police deserve some level of comfort in their job, whether it comes in the form of cars, low interest loans or subsidised housing or a combination of all. But the key question that Okiro evaded on Monday was: to what extent have these improvements in police welfare resulted in greater efficiency within the force? Have these improvements in police welfare resulted in a marked reduction in violent crimes and assassinations in the country? Apparently overcome with excitement, Okiro said his goal was to see police officers cruise around town in their own cars.

Okiro's ambition should not be to "see a Sergeant driving brand new Honda car". He should develop welfare packages and schemes that allow his officers - junior and senior - to attain a certain level of comfort zone. More important, Okiro's ambition must be to ensure that the police are capable of detecting and fighting crimes, that the police are capable of responding promptly to emergency calls for assistance by members of the public, and that the police are perceived not as an enemy of the people but as a friend and guardian of the larger society.

If there is a marked improvement in welfare services available to the police, as Okiro claimed, the public should be entitled to expect proportionate improvements in the services provided by the police. Surely, regular upgrading of police welfare is commendable, if only that would boost police morale and crime fighting skills. Hopefully, improvements in police welfare and a commensurate reduction in violent crimes should, over a period of time, begin to lift the grime off the image of the police.

Cleaning up the image of the police will take a long time. The police will have to show a great deal of commitment to professional values. At the moment, there are too many problems that undermine police efforts to clean up their image. One of them has to do with an environment that supports easy and targeted killings of prominent people. I use the word "easy" because there are so many unsolved murders recorded in police files. Perhaps Okiro and his officers should start by unraveling the assassins and their sponsors. As long as killers patrol our streets as free men and women, and as long as the number of unsolved murders continues to rise, no amount of Honda or Toyota cars offered to the police would wash off the dirt on the face of the Nigeria Police Force.

Okiro must be congratulated for acknowledging openly that the investigative skills of the police are on the decline. More than two decades ago, everyone knew and respected the legendary capacity of the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to detect crimes and indeed to solve long-standing criminal cases. Not any more! The glory days of the CID are now history. As Okiro put it: "When we were young, the Criminal Investigation Department used to detect lots of crime before they are committed. We must bring back the good old days. We must be able to get the robbers before they strike."

Inability to solve criminal cases remains one of the greatest challenges that confront the police. I remember vividly the celebrated Nwiboko case and the CID officers that spent years unraveling the evidence. Obviously something has snapped in the crime detection unit of the police. They no longer make men and women in police CID as they used to. Police values have changed. The level of commitment among junior and senior officers has dropped dramatically. I cannot remember the last time I heard or read that the police have cracked landmark criminal cases somewhere in the country.

Okiro, please give the police all the incentives they require - Honda, Toyota, subsidised houses, etc. -- if these would push up their crime fighting adrenalin level. But don't fail to remind them that people to whom much is given, much is expected.

Robot  Villager

# 1 Okiro's definition of 'service' ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 07.03.2008 07:43

Abatakan  JJC

# 2 Read the article by the honourable sir Okiro the eminent inspector general of police and nearly choked on my lunch,are we villagers the only one that seems appall by the continuing irresponsible,degrading and to the core gutter language utterances of holder of public offices in Nigeria? The unprofessionalism of their words beggars belief,how on earth does a nation that produces a nobel laureate,men and women who are pioneers/leaders in their chosen field,allow nincompoops with exalted sense of importance to hold office never mind rising to the highest position? Then l remeber an advert placed by the commisioner of police in oshun state (of which Sir Okiro is his boss) for any villager that miss that advert see the reproduction of the advert courtesy of Babs Ajayi ( the full article is on http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/babsajayi/010708.html) "The Commissioner of Police, Officers and Men of the Osun State Command heartily felicitate with our professional father, Sir. Mike Mbama Okiro, NPM, MNL, B.A (HONS), MPA, LLB (HONS) LLM, mni on the National Honour of CFR conferred on him by God's anointed President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Yar'Adua (GCFR). Your appointment as the 13th Indigenous Inspector General of Police has changed the face and fortune of Nigeria Police at all levels, just as your life has always been a miracle. It is important to note for posterity that the following achievements have been recorded since you assume office: 1. Recall of police officers who were victims of unjust dismissal, 2. Zero tolerance for corruption, 3. Equitable distribution of patrol vehicles and other logistics across the Nation, 4. Reduction of crime in the country, 5. Improved image of Nigeria Police Force, 6. Promotion of officers and men as at when due, 7. Prompt payment of salaries, wages of serving personnel, and of insurance claims of deceased officers and men who died in active service. Sir, the above have further boosted our confidence that the miracle you symbolize will continue in the area of provision of the much needed barrack accommodation for improved life of Officers and Men. We also hope that sooner, Nigeria Police will rank among the best in the World." There you have it fellow villagers,this is a commissioner answerable to the inspector general gushing with so much syncophancy you ask yourself is it real? The commisoner head is so far inside his boss behind you can not see the commissioner body,then you move on and think that was one off and when you think nothing can shock/surprise about our country a gem like Sir Okiro l`ll die for Yardua comes along.Classic.Long live Nigeria. Posted by Abatakan| 07.03.2008 10:47

Sapele Man  Villager

# 3 When is Okiro due for retirement? I hope it is soon enough. Watching the man muttering words on TV is enough evidence of his level of thinking and exposure. I can't believe that man is from Southern Nigeria. Posted by Sapele Man| 09.03.2008 00:10