20 Sep 2009 |
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Onovo's Gaffe By Reuben Abati On Friday September 11, the Vanguard newspaper had an interview with the Inspector General of Police Ogbonnaya Onovo, which was published in the newspaper yesterday. Onovo is quoted as having told his interviewers before he finally agreed to grant them an audience: "What should I be saying? I am just six weeks on the job. I have even not done the usual tour of the commands. It is also not my style to talk. I would rather have the things I do speak for me." In the body of the interview, Onovo goes on to define his three-point agenda as Nigeria's Inspector-General of Police: "my activities would centre on welfare, training and intelligence-led policing." Given the events of the past few days with the Inspector General of Police finding himself in the eye of the storm, with newspapers making him look really clumsy, it would serve him well to stick to the first part of his declaration above. Since he knows that it is not his "style to talk", he should learn to keep quiet and if he must talk at all, he should do so only when he is sure of his facts. Socrates's admonition rings true: man know thyself. Or well, to thyself be true. Onovo broke this natural principle when at a public event he changed his style and decided to talk about Nuhu Ribadu's recent condolence visit to the Gani Fawehinmi family. It was during his first official visit to Lagos as IGP. A journalist had asked him a question about Ribadu's sudden appearance in Nigeria. The same Ribadu that the Police hierarchy had summoned to report himself and who refused to do so, and who had been dismissed from the Police Force (for "indiscipline, insurbordination and absence from duty.") The same Ribadu who fled into exile when it became obvious that some forces were out to eliminate him because of his role as Nigeria's anti-corruption czar. This same fellow who is regarded by the Yar'çdua government as an enemy; the Federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation says Ribadu is busy abroad working against the interests of the Nigerian government. This same man came into Nigeria, went to the Fawehinmis to pay condolence, wrote a tribute to Gani in the condolence register and visited the mortuary in Ikeja to see Gani's corpse. He granted interviews and spoke with people, and then left Nigeria. The following day, Ribadu's bold visit was reported in the papers. But the Inspector-General of Police insists as follows: "Until I see those photographs, I won't believe he came in. Honestly, I don't believe that Ribadu came to Nigeria. How can somebody like that go to Gani's house on a condolence visit and his photograph will not be published in any newspaper? Why is it that nobody took his photograph? Did he refuse to be photographed? After all, we saw photographs of several other people who visited the chief's house in the newspapers. You need to convince me that he came....I don't know who took his photo when he arrived and if anyone has seen those photos, please let me see them. Until then, I don't want to join issues." Onovo is one of Nigeria's chief security officers. He is the man in charge of the security of lives and property. If he really doesn't know that Ribadu came to Nigeria and embarked on all the activities reported, then it means Nigeria is in very serious trouble. One, it means that the Inspector General of Police does not read newspapers, and does not watch television. He probably does, but may be he does not read Nigerian newspapers and he doesn't watch Nigeria TV. For many Nigerian big men, it is infra dig to be seen patronising the local media. And he won't be the first. Didn't Obasanjo say he does not read Nigerian newspapers? And yet he ruled Nigeria for eight years! The IGP may have been misled by the photos that appeared in the newspapers on Friday, September 11. On that day, Next newspaper for example published photographs of Ribadu with a black cap, addressing the press and Ribadu sitting in a library, with his hands on his head, but the story was graphically detailed and there was a photo of Ribadu's entry into the condolence register. ThisDay which also got the story did not have a photograph. Punch reported the story and interviewed the man by 8 pm the same day and reported the interview. Tribune reporters were not at the scene but they also reported the story. No photograph. Even if the newspapers did not publish exact photographs of the visit, that shouldn't have led the IGP into asking for those photos. Afterall, TV Continental covered the visit and many Nigerians watched Ribadu's visit on television. Besides, the Inspector-General of Police could have conducted his own investigations. In some other countries, there would be a police photographer permanently stationed in Gani's house documenting all the to-ings and fro-ings. The Lagos University Teaching Hospital Mortuary which Ribadu visited shares the same fence with the Nigerian Police Area F Command in Ikeja. Exactly the same fence. Less than five minutes away is the Police College! Is it not funny that an IGP who says he is interested in ""ntelligence-led policing" could fail the test of intelligence this badly? What we are again dealing with is the lack of co-ordination in the Nigerian Police. Is the IGP aware that the Lagos Airport Command was quoted in the Sunday Punch of September 13 as saying that the Police had no reason to arrest Ribadu because "he is not a wanted person", and that "he is free to come into the country and go out at any time?" So declared one Sam Anele, spokesman for the Lagos Airport Command. The Inspector-General did not read the story? In other countries, the IGP would have received a report from the Lagos Police Command, or he would have asked for one, and all the details of Ribadu's visit would have been placed before him. For the IGP's information, there were policemen among the crowd that cheered on Ribadu when he visited. No one among them could even file a report, to save the No 1 police man the ordeal of having to doubt newspaper reports? Mr Onovo has spent only six weeks in office. He will learn his lessons in good time, if he is not already learning a few. A day after his gaffe, the newspapers were all over him. A few of them took up his challenge. ThisDay gave him a close shot of Ribadu greeting Mrs Ganiat Fawehinmi, on the front page. The Punch had two photogrpahs of the visit on its front page, with a cynical rider: "IG Onovo, do you now believe?" The Nation also had a photo from the visit on page 4. Next newspaper too (although in the photos on page 3 of the September 18 edition, the cap was no longer black as in Next's initial story but a shade of green). The press should also learn a few lessons from Onovo's challenge, namely that there are doubting Thomases among our readers who will never be convinced by the details of a story, unless they see a photograph illustrating the story. The photos did not come with the original story perhaps due to the exigencies of production. Onovo should be careful in the future what he asks for from the media. But he was spot on when he told The Vanguard that he intends to strengthen the intelligence gathering capabilities of the Nigerian Police. He should give that task the priority it deserves. If the IGP has no information on Ribadu's visit, which was an open secret, how does he expect us to rely on anything the Police says? But let us not be too hard on Onovo. He has been described as a very good-looking man who in the course of an interview does not gesticulate much! And they say he is a gentleman. Afterall he has not made the additional mistake of saying that the press is publishing computer-generated photos or that he was quoted out of context! The man we should blame is Onovo's Public and Media Relations Assistant, or whoever performs that function in his office. In Nigeria's corridors of power, big men in big positions do not have to read newspapers, they do not need to watch television. Their assistants do that on their behalf. These assistants then prepare a summary of the news that they think the boss should know about. It is most likely that Onovo's assistant didn't do a good job on the Ribadu visit. He should be told to sit up. Leaving out important news details is bound to expose his boss to this kind of embarrassment. IG sir, the next time that fellow makes this kind of mistake, he should be posted to Gashua! And by the way IG, have you now seen the photographs? Again, Mr Onovo should be consoled by the fact that he is not alone. Nigerian public officials are famous for their gaffes. The Yar'Adua government for example has had to reverse itself so many times in the last two years. And we the people are used to the fact that doing a thorough home work before talking is not this government's strong point. Are these not the same people who will promise 6, 000 megawatts of electricity only to turn round later to say that pipeline vandalism is a major obstacle? Didn't they think of the obstacles before making promises? Is this not the same government that will promise teachers and doctors the payment of special salary scales by a particular time only to invent excuses along the line? They don't even know how much crude oil Nigeria produces. They are not even sure of their records: one department says some accussed persons have been given the clean bill of health, another agency says it is not true. So ride on Onovo, but do something about the intelligence-gathering capacity of the Nigerian Police, and to thyself be true, talk please, only when you know...Only yesterday, you were quoted in ThisDay saying nobody should blame the Police for Ribadu's visit, instead we should blame the Nigeria Immigration Service... So what are you now saying? Are you now saying Ribadu visited Nigeria?
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