President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday expressed
disgust with what he called indiscipline and mediocrity in the country’s
security agencies, lamenting that these have been largely responsible for their
abysmal performance over the years.
Speaking at the State House,
Abuja, where he inaugurated the Nigeria Police Service Commission, the
President recalled how he was tempted to sack the top echelon of the Nigeria
Police Force for allowing Boko Haram terrorists to bomb their headquarters in
2011.
He also expressed his embarrassment
upon finding out that virtually all the nominees sent to him for appointment as
Comptroller-General of Immigration were officers that ought to have been
dismissed from service for various acts of misconduct.
The President acknowledged
that Nigerian security officers usually performed creditably outside the shores
of the country but regretted their sometimes dismal performance back home owing
largely to the same issues of indiscipline and disregard to merit and due
process.
The President charged the Okiro-led
Commission to help government address these inefficiencies by reviewing the
police reforms report and making appropriate recommendations that would assist
the Federal Executive Council (FEC) evolve a White Paper towards finding
durable solutions.
“You will agree with me that
Nigerians don’t have so much confidence in the Nigeria Police, but Nigeria
Police is good.
“Nigerian policemen that work
outside (the country) under the United Nations are highly honoured, highly
commended and Okiro will agree with me.
“But once we come back home,
that is not reflected in what we do. Even now that we have challenges you will
see that.
“Especially, when the Police
Headquarters was bombed, some people came to me and said ‘Mr. President, sack
all police officers working in that place from Assistant Commissioner of Police
and above’.
“I did not sack any because of
that incident but that was the advice I got; that if you do that subsequent
people that would be posted there will sit up.
“How could the police allow
their headquarters to be bombed by a very local group called Boko Haram?
“But I believe there are two
things, one is the issue of discipline. And so, one of the responsibilities of
the Police Service Commission is to instil discipline.
“Another thing I believe is
that people who do no merit certain ranks are being promoted to those ranks.
One of your responsibilities is to handle promotion.
“I believe with you, only
those who merit or deserve promotion should be promoted. Those who deserve to
be disciplined or even dismissed must be disciplined.
“Few days back I did approve
that the new Comptroller-General of Immigration who brought the list of about
six that were to be reviewed, some were sent from the ministry, some were
picked from among the most senior.
“When we reviewed the six,
from my intelligence investigations most of them were supposed to have been
dismissed. But those were the people that were being forwarded for appointment
as Comptroller General of Immigration.
“Among them only one is
qualified to even stay and serve, others ordinarily are supposed to be
dismissed from the records.
“And I believe that the story
of Immigration is the same with most of our services.
“I believe that is why the
performance of some of our military and para-military officers is abysmal;
because the yardstick being used for promotion is not based on competence,
merit and performance,” the President lamented.
He, therefore, charged Okiro
and the Commission to ensure not just a better command structure of the police,
but that officers who are promoted to Assistant Police Commissioner and above
must deserve the rank or else, they should be retired from the service.
“It is better for you not to
have enough manpower than for you to have viruses and all kinds of characters
in the Police Force,” Jonathan reasoned.
He told the Commission members
that FEC would in the next one or two weeks consider the police reform report
and “since we have just appointed you, we give you the privilege to look at
that document before we come out with a White Paper, so that if there is a
suggestion that you will bring, you bring it and that it will be part of the
White Paper since you are the ones to manage the police.”
In an interview with
journalists after the ceremony, Okiro, a former IG, said the immediate task is
to examine extant laws and find where and how to reform the police force.
He sought the cooperation of
all Nigerians, including the press and police officers themselves in doing
this.
Okiro explained that Nigerian
policemen perform better on international duties because the environment is
different, the people are different and the equipment to work with are
different.
This is not an indictment of
Nigerian authorities though, he added.
“What we are talking about is
that time changes, society is dynamic. What happened few years ago is not what
is happening now. You know at that time there was no Boko Haram but there is
right now.
“So, you have to work as the
situation demands at the moment and at the time.
“What I am going to do now is
to look at what is making the police not to perform optimally at this time, at
this period of our nation’s history. I will try and address those issues,”
Okiro assured.
He also lamented the poor
welfare package of police officers in the country, declaring that “from ACP up
are not feeling very happy. Many of them have no houses, the morale of the
police is quite low, and they need to be motivated as you have to look into
what will make them perform optimally.
“If you give somebody
something to work with, he works well for you. If you pay somebody very well,
he works very well for you. If you give somebody pittance, you get pittance
service from him. So we have to look at the welfare of the police first and
foremost.”
Source: daily Independent
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