Firstly, if English language is our lingual franca, shouldn't the English language scholars correct the name of our police, i mean it should be the Nigeria(n) Police Force as opposed to "Nigeria" without the "n" at the end, i remember that being possessive noun back in my English language class. Someone please save us the national embarrassment that has lingered for as long as i can remember.
Straight to the point, is the police really your friend? Of course they are also human, only that they are permitted by law to use force where necessary to curb or prevent crime as the case may be. Hmm.
How then do we honestly and effectively rate the police in a country where corruption thrives like the air we breathe?
Over time, there have arisen several cases, proven and otherwise, of the police committing unbelievable atrocities that even the average citizen dares not perform.
Well, i am not here to judge the police, but i want to x-ray the cause of the problem that doesn't let us trust the police a hundred percent, especially here in Nigeria.
Wikipedia defines police corruption as a form of police misconduct in which law enforcing officers seek personal gain, such as money, or career advancement through the abuse of power, for example, by accepting bribes so as not to pursue an investigation or arrest.
When people say they are not well paid in Nigeria, i worry, although part of it is true, but due to the fact that i do not want to follow the crowd mentality and sound like everybody else, i take time out to think things further through and do a little research.
For a nation to be vibrant and successful, certain things have to be put in place right?
It's just like when you want to cook a perfect meal, the necessary things have to be put in place, cooking gas, utensils, oil, seasoning, cutlery etc. Also when you want to make music, the band should have drum sets, guitars, keyboards and not to make little.
This is a rhythm of systemic principles that cannot be toyed with in order to ensure a a positively anticipated outcome, created by design in a shared vision of credible people (thinkers) with sound mind..
Apparently, science has taken over the world, call it jet age, information age or whatever, but wisdom and positive mental attitude further strengthens us to see that our nose is right under our very nose, opening the horizons of our thoughts and actions with vast consideration of emotional intelligence, as the systems approach helps give fresh solutions to complex problems, combining science and practical common sense.
When all these infrastructures are not available or not working effectively, citizens are are bound to spend the money they don't even have, causing a budget inconsistency, luring them into being corrupt, as no one can predict the level of discipline a man can hold himself up to at certain times when his environment pressurizes him.
John Egbeazien Oshodi (Ph.D.) delivered a fine piece in the Punch newspaper of 22nd May 2013 about compensation for the slain police officers' families. These unequipped, ill motivated, poorly paid officers that have been denied efficient infrastructure and that have not had a genuine reason to be extremely loyal to their nation were cut short in the line of national duty in the heat of insecurity and threat to the stability of their dear nation.
They unceremoniously passed away, leaving behind a family they couldn't even take good care of in the first place to a nation that can hardly keep records of her citizens, nor can adequately take care of her citizens present, not to talk of future. Then out of obvious sentimentality and banal protocol due to the glaring inquisitiveness of the recently aware citizenry, with disdain and shameless hypocrisy and bias, they promise to give the victims' families certain monies according to cadre in the police force, or do we just say hierarchy? like death recognizes your degrees.
This is more than enough reason for the police to be grossly irresponsibly, i don't have the solution, but i only seek to constructively criticize, is it a moral justification?
Come on guys, lets help ourselves, only then can we assist the police, remember they are humans, they are among us, and they are our friends..
Awesome piece. but can i ask: can't the police too be involved in more lucrative part-time jobs, while they serve their father land?
ReplyDeleteIf such not-too-time-taking-but-money-making jobs are ventured into and they are contented with it, no matter how small the pay can be, i believe we would all have a better community and a better country at large.