Fellow Nigerians, how are you today and how is our dear beloved
country? I’ve spent most of this week in Accra, Ghana. Many
Nigerian leaders have also passed through the Republic of Ghana
this week. The reason is not far-fetched.
Ghana celebrated her 61st Independence anniversary on March 6,
2018, and the country has been in celebratory mood all week and
Ghanaians have been upbeat all the way. This state of jollification
is well-deserved. Ghana has not done badly at all even if it had
suffered her own challenges like most African nations in the past.
As with all those who wish others well, Nigerian Leaders,
including, President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President, Dr
Bukola Saraki came to salute the Ghanaians for the tremendous
progress they have achieved since independence.
It would be an understatement to say how much I love and
appreciate the giant strides of Ghanaians. Ghanaian politics is not
different from religion. Majority of Ghanaians are born with
political parties. They are brought up on certain ideologies and
principles. As with their religious beliefs, which they hold firmly
to, and hardly waver from by criss-crossing religions, it is more
difficult for a Ghanaian politician to abscond from one party in
order to join another. This notwithstanding, democracy thrives
because Ghanaians have learnt and perfected the art of bringing
their political leaders to account. Therefore, whilst they may be
affiliated to a political party from birth or infancy, they are
politically astute enough to vote for another party if and when
their own party is seen to be failing to deliver the goods. Hence,
electoral results and fortunes of the different parties are often
quite close. Ghana is thus more politically advanced than most
other African nations. I’m always fascinated by the level of
political awareness even amongst those in the rural areas. The mass
proliferation of radio stations has also helped in the
dissemination of news to every nook and cranny.
I have followed Ghanaian politics since my secondary school days
and I’ve been a passionate disciple of Kwame Nkrumah whose
revolutionary zeal and passion fascinated me from the outset, and,
later, President Jerry John Rawlings who caught the attention and
imagination of the world by his summary execution of former
Ghanaian Presidents and Heads of State, on the basis of their
perceived corruption, at the time. Nkrumah was like our own Dr
Nnamdi Azikiwe or Chief Obafemi Awolowo, not just because of his
dogged fight for Ghanaian independence but also, because of his
great intellectual prowess. I read his powerful books and fell in
love with ‘Consciencism’ and ‘Africa Must Unite’. In Rawlings, I
found a revolutionary soldier, turned politician, who had an idea
of what he wanted to do, what he needed to do and how he needed to
it. His main goal was to rid Ghana of the cankerworm of corruption
and corrupt influences even if violent and tragic means were
required to achieve this. He made mistakes, as he acknowledged to
Ovation International magazine, in several interviews, but still
did his best to turn Ghana around in a most dramatic but
efficacious fashion. It is to his credit that those who like him
,and those who do not, jointly rise to applaud his role in the
development of a modern, accountable Ghana.
This year’s Independence celebration in Ghana was very exciting
and colourful. It was also special and unusual because two
prominent Nigerians were invited, and they both attended. First,
our President, Muhammadu Buhari, was the special guest of honour.
Second, the President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola
Saraki was also invited as a special guest of the Ghanaian
Parliament. This meant we had both the number one and number three
citizens of Nigeria in attendance at the ceremonies. Nigeria being
an acclaimed giant of Africa, the presence of these two lofty
personages added grandeur and significance to the ceremonies, to
say the least.
I paid special attention to the speeches, especially that of
President Buhari of Nigeria and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.
One is taciturn and ponderous in his delivery whilst the other is
undoubtedly an orator. The Ghanaian President, dealt with and,
rolled out his developmental plans and vision for Ghana and
President Buhari also dealt with and, rolled out his achievements
with respect to his pet project, the war against corruption.
Indeed, he made headlines with his offer and promise to help Ghana
fight corruption. Many of his listeners wondered how Nigeria can
help Ghana in the fight against corruption when Nigeria was already
rated as one of the world’s most corrupt nations and Ghana was way
behind. For me, I was happy that President Buhari accepted Ghana’s
invitation and witnessed a superb ceremony by a country that has
done fantastically well against all odds.
On a serious note, it is my belief that, Ghana is now far
superior to many African countries in many areas. In the area of
security of lives and properties, Nigeria has become
over-militarised with more and more reliance on the Armed Forces
rather than the Police, but in contrast, Ghana relies more heavily
on its police. We have succeeded in turning our police into an
inferior force of unmotivated, inefficient and corrupt officers,
and our soldiers now appear more in public as if we are in a
military era or worse still, state of war.
Our police have, as a result become ill-equipped to deal with
the security challenges that face our nation. They are unable to
fight the rising menace of armed robbery and kidnappings by a
rag-tag, motley crew of undesirable elements, such that, it is
painfully obvious that, they cannot fight the dastardlier, highly
organised, but cowardly insurgency of the Niger Delta or Boko Haram
not to mention control those agitating for secession in the East,
all of which are ravaging Nigeria and threatening our corporate
existence. I was enthralled and encouraged when the Ghanaian
President declared, emphatically, that he would enlarge the size of
the Ghanaian police and give them sufficient training and equipment
to enable them fulfil their role as the guardian and protector of a
civilian populace in peace time. He asserted that the military
would only be used in exceptional cases as back up, since indeed
that is their role when there is no war.
I have said it repeatedly that we must return power, purpose and
significance to the Nigeria Police. The only way to do this is to
follow the vision of President Akufo-Addo and recognise that the
time has come to deal with all the issues which plague the police
and make them the sorry and sometimes laughable outfit that they
have become. A situation where the police have been turned into
little more than escorts and security guards for the rich and
famous cannot augur well for the internal security of the nation. I
do not object to the police carrying out this role, in part, given
the security challenges that our nation faces. However, there is no
reason why they cannot and must not fulfil their constitutional
role of maintaining and securing public safety and public order,
even as they protect the upper echelons of society.
The Armed Forces should be restricted to its constitutional role
of defending the country from external aggression, maintaining and
securing the integrity of our borders and quelling insurrection.
They should only be called upon by the President to aid and assist
the civil authorities, like the Nigeria Police when there is a real
need to do so. Even in such circumstances, the President is
required to act only upon conditions laid down by an Act of the
National Assembly. It seems clear to me in my layman’s
understanding of the law and the relevant constitutional provision
of s. 217 of the 1999 Constitution that in the absence of such an
Act of the National Assembly, the constant and regular resort to
the Armed Forces to deal with simple matters of public order and
security is not only wrong but unconstitutional.
To enable the Police to fulfil their constitutional role, our
governments now need to concentrate on making bigger budgetary
provision not only for equipment but also the number of personnel.
Their personal welfare must also be improved. For people who
constantly and continually lay their lives on the line, improving
their welfare should be a no-brainer. Their salaries should be paid
as at when due and must be increased. It is common knowledge that
the Police earn a pittance, hence their eagerness to work as
security detail and escorts because they know that they will not
just be paid on time, but they will earn a package much more
considerable than that offered by Government. If we complain about
the brazen corruption of police officers and their reluctance to
perform their duties, we should appreciate that their emoluments
make their position a bit understandable, even though a corrupt
police officer cannot be justified and must never be condoned.
There should be a comprehensive insurance, medical and pension
package for all Police officers, which will see them adequately
taken care of, not just when they are in service but even
afterwards, upon retirement. In case of their untimely demise in
the call of duty, proper provision should be made for their
families. I have no doubt that the level of performance of our
officers would increase tremendously if their welfare was improved
and they knew that the Government really cared for them.
Having dealt with their personal welfare, the Government must
further make provision for a strong and well-equipped police force.
A situation where police officers have to pay for their own
uniforms must be anathema to us. It is an absolute disgrace to see
police officers wearing bathroom slippers because, the individual
officer, or the Police force, cannot afford to kit them out with
shoes, not to talk of boots. How can any sane person chase a
criminal in such circumstances? To imagine this scenario is comical
and farcical, to say the least. Yet this is the state of our police
today.
For me and my house however, the major area that Government also
needs to concentrate upon is equipping the Police Force. There is
no reason why the Police should not be as well, and heavily
equipped as the Armed Forces. Even though they are a peace time
force, it is apparent that the criminals that they sometimes
contend with have not just superior fire power, but also superior
intelligence gathering techniques. This puts them several steps
ahead of the police and sometimes leads us to deride the efficacy
of the police when they are not to blame. I see no reason why the
Military police should not have armoured combat vehicles like the
Army. The air wing of the Police should have sophisticated aircraft
including surveillance and assault helicopters. A sea arm of the
police should have heavily armed patrol boats that can navigate and
take control of our creeks and riverine areas.
It seems apparent, that part of the unwillingness of our present
leaders to deal with the situation and have an effective,
well-equipped, militarised and properly motivated police force is
the military background of those leaders. Esprit de corps properly
mandates them to ensure that the Nigeria Police is not as strong as
the armed Forces, because such a situation would mean that the
Armed Forces could be permanently checkmated as a possible
alternate force for governance in the country. Our history
demonstrates, that army generals would always want to keep this
trump card. To protect our nascent democracy, especially at this
time, when some of our leaders are making dangerous references to
the possibility of a military takeover, it is imperative to have a
strong viable police that can curb the excesses of the military
since that is part of its duty of maintaining and securing public
order.
As President Nana Akufo-Addo demonstrated with his vision and
plans for the Ghanaian Police, the problem is not with our police
force, but with the will of our leaders to empower the police force
to take its proper constitutional position as the protector of our
security and public order. This can only be done by giving and
afforded the Police the necessary resources to carry out their
duties. It is not too late to carry out the essential reforms of
the Nigeria Police.
May God protect and secure us all!
Fellow Nigerians, how are you today and how is our dear beloved
country? I’ve spent most of this week in Accra, Ghana. Many
Nigerian leaders have also passed through the Republic of Ghana
this week. The reason is not far-fetched.
Ghana celebrated her 61st Independence anniversary on March 6,
2018, and the country has been in celebratory mood all week and
Ghanaians have been upbeat all the way. This state of jollification
is well-deserved. Ghana has not done badly at all even if it had
suffered her own challenges like most African nations in the past.
As with all those who wish others well, Nigerian Leaders,
including, President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President, Dr
Bukola Saraki came to salute the Ghanaians for the tremendous
progress they have achieved since independence.
It would be an understatement to say how much I love and
appreciate the giant strides of Ghanaians. Ghanaian politics is not
different from religion. Majority of Ghanaians are born with
political parties. They are brought up on certain ideologies and
principles. As with their religious beliefs, which they hold firmly
to, and hardly waver from by criss-crossing religions, it is more
difficult for a Ghanaian politician to abscond from one party in
order to join another. This notwithstanding, democracy thrives
because Ghanaians have learnt and perfected the art of bringing
their political leaders to account. Therefore, whilst they may be
affiliated to a political party from birth or infancy, they are
politically astute enough to vote for another party if and when
their own party is seen to be failing to deliver the goods. Hence,
electoral results and fortunes of the different parties are often
quite close. Ghana is thus more politically advanced than most
other African nations. I’m always fascinated by the level of
political awareness even amongst those in the rural areas. The mass
proliferation of radio stations has also helped in the
dissemination of news to every nook and cranny.
I have followed Ghanaian politics since my secondary school days
and I’ve been a passionate disciple of Kwame Nkrumah whose
revolutionary zeal and passion fascinated me from the outset, and,
later, President Jerry John Rawlings who caught the attention and
imagination of the world by his summary execution of former
Ghanaian Presidents and Heads of State, on the basis of their
perceived corruption, at the time. Nkrumah was like our own Dr
Nnamdi Azikiwe or Chief Obafemi Awolowo, not just because of his
dogged fight for Ghanaian independence but also, because of his
great intellectual prowess. I read his powerful books and fell in
love with ‘Consciencism’ and ‘Africa Must Unite’. In Rawlings, I
found a revolutionary soldier, turned politician, who had an idea
of what he wanted to do, what he needed to do and how he needed to
it. His main goal was to rid Ghana of the cankerworm of corruption
and corrupt influences even if violent and tragic means were
required to achieve this. He made mistakes, as he acknowledged to
Ovation International magazine, in several interviews, but still
did his best to turn Ghana around in a most dramatic but
efficacious fashion. It is to his credit that those who like him
,and those who do not, jointly rise to applaud his role in the
development of a modern, accountable Ghana.
This year’s Independence celebration in Ghana was very exciting
and colourful. It was also special and unusual because two
prominent Nigerians were invited, and they both attended. First,
our President, Muhammadu Buhari, was the special guest of honour.
Second, the President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola
Saraki was also invited as a special guest of the Ghanaian
Parliament. This meant we had both the number one and number three
citizens of Nigeria in attendance at the ceremonies. Nigeria being
an acclaimed giant of Africa, the presence of these two lofty
personages added grandeur and significance to the ceremonies, to
say the least.
I paid special attention to the speeches, especially that of
President Buhari of Nigeria and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.
One is taciturn and ponderous in his delivery whilst the other is
undoubtedly an orator. The Ghanaian President, dealt with and,
rolled out his developmental plans and vision for Ghana and
President Buhari also dealt with and, rolled out his achievements
with respect to his pet project, the war against corruption.
Indeed, he made headlines with his offer and promise to help Ghana
fight corruption. Many of his listeners wondered how Nigeria can
help Ghana in the fight against corruption when Nigeria was already
rated as one of the world’s most corrupt nations and Ghana was way
behind. For me, I was happy that President Buhari accepted Ghana’s
invitation and witnessed a superb ceremony by a country that has
done fantastically well against all odds.
On a serious note, it is my belief that, Ghana is now far
superior to many African countries in many areas. In the area of
security of lives and properties, Nigeria has become
over-militarised with more and more reliance on the Armed Forces
rather than the Police, but in contrast, Ghana relies more heavily
on its police. We have succeeded in turning our police into an
inferior force of unmotivated, inefficient and corrupt officers,
and our soldiers now appear more in public as if we are in a
military era or worse still, state of war.
Our police have, as a result become ill-equipped to deal with
the security challenges that face our nation. They are unable to
fight the rising menace of armed robbery and kidnappings by a
rag-tag, motley crew of undesirable elements, such that, it is
painfully obvious that, they cannot fight the dastardlier, highly
organised, but cowardly insurgency of the Niger Delta or Boko Haram
not to mention control those agitating for secession in the East,
all of which are ravaging Nigeria and threatening our corporate
existence. I was enthralled and encouraged when the Ghanaian
President declared, emphatically, that he would enlarge the size of
the Ghanaian police and give them sufficient training and equipment
to enable them fulfil their role as the guardian and protector of a
civilian populace in peace time. He asserted that the military
would only be used in exceptional cases as back up, since indeed
that is their role when there is no war.
I have said it repeatedly that we must return power, purpose and
significance to the Nigeria Police. The only way to do this is to
follow the vision of President Akufo-Addo and recognise that the
time has come to deal with all the issues which plague the police
and make them the sorry and sometimes laughable outfit that they
have become. A situation where the police have been turned into
little more than escorts and security guards for the rich and
famous cannot augur well for the internal security of the nation. I
do not object to the police carrying out this role, in part, given
the security challenges that our nation faces. However, there is no
reason why they cannot and must not fulfil their constitutional
role of maintaining and securing public safety and public order,
even as they protect the upper echelons of society.
The Armed Forces should be restricted to its constitutional role
of defending the country from external aggression, maintaining and
securing the integrity of our borders and quelling insurrection.
They should only be called upon by the President to aid and assist
the civil authorities, like the Nigeria Police when there is a real
need to do so. Even in such circumstances, the President is
required to act only upon conditions laid down by an Act of the
National Assembly. It seems clear to me in my layman’s
understanding of the law and the relevant constitutional provision
of s. 217 of the 1999 Constitution that in the absence of such an
Act of the National Assembly, the constant and regular resort to
the Armed Forces to deal with simple matters of public order and
security is not only wrong but unconstitutional.
To enable the Police to fulfil their constitutional role, our
governments now need to concentrate on making bigger budgetary
provision not only for equipment but also the number of personnel.
Their personal welfare must also be improved. For people who
constantly and continually lay their lives on the line, improving
their welfare should be a no-brainer. Their salaries should be paid
as at when due and must be increased. It is common knowledge that
the Police earn a pittance, hence their eagerness to work as
security detail and escorts because they know that they will not
just be paid on time, but they will earn a package much more
considerable than that offered by Government. If we complain about
the brazen corruption of police officers and their reluctance to
perform their duties, we should appreciate that their emoluments
make their position a bit understandable, even though a corrupt
police officer cannot be justified and must never be condoned.
There should be a comprehensive insurance, medical and pension
package for all Police officers, which will see them adequately
taken care of, not just when they are in service but even
afterwards, upon retirement. In case of their untimely demise in
the call of duty, proper provision should be made for their
families. I have no doubt that the level of performance of our
officers would increase tremendously if their welfare was improved
and they knew that the Government really cared for them.
Having dealt with their personal welfare, the Government must
further make provision for a strong and well-equipped police force.
A situation where police officers have to pay for their own
uniforms must be anathema to us. It is an absolute disgrace to see
police officers wearing bathroom slippers because, the individual
officer, or the Police force, cannot afford to kit them out with
shoes, not to talk of boots. How can any sane person chase a
criminal in such circumstances? To imagine this scenario is comical
and farcical, to say the least. Yet this is the state of our police
today.
For me and my house however, the major area that Government also
needs to concentrate upon is equipping the Police Force. There is
no reason why the Police should not be as well, and heavily
equipped as the Armed Forces. Even though they are a peace time
force, it is apparent that the criminals that they sometimes
contend with have not just superior fire power, but also superior
intelligence gathering techniques. This puts them several steps
ahead of the police and sometimes leads us to deride the efficacy
of the police when they are not to blame. I see no reason why the
Military police should not have armoured combat vehicles like the
Army. The air wing of the Police should have sophisticated aircraft
including surveillance and assault helicopters. A sea arm of the
police should have heavily armed patrol boats that can navigate and
take control of our creeks and riverine areas.
It seems apparent, that part of the unwillingness of our present
leaders to deal with the situation and have an effective,
well-equipped, militarised and properly motivated police force is
the military background of those leaders. Esprit de corps properly
mandates them to ensure that the Nigeria Police is not as strong as
the armed Forces, because such a situation would mean that the
Armed Forces could be permanently checkmated as a possible
alternate force for governance in the country. Our history
demonstrates, that army generals would always want to keep this
trump card. To protect our nascent democracy, especially at this
time, when some of our leaders are making dangerous references to
the possibility of a military takeover, it is imperative to have a
strong viable police that can curb the excesses of the military
since that is part of its duty of maintaining and securing public
order.
As President Nana Akufo-Addo demonstrated with his vision and
plans for the Ghanaian Police, the problem is not with our police
force, but with the will of our leaders to empower the police force
to take its proper constitutional position as the protector of our
security and public order. This can only be done by giving and
afforded the Police the necessary resources to carry out their
duties. It is not too late to carry out the essential reforms of
the Nigeria Police.
May God protect and secure us all!
Read more https://nairalaw.com/ghanas-independence-and-lessons-for-nigeria-by-dele-momodu/