The news in Nigeria is that junior police officers are preparing to go on strike, yep they will down tools or guns or stop collecting “N20” to express their many grievances.
This instantly posses many questions, can they do this? Legally no, they are an essential service so they cannot go on strike, just like the Army, PHCH (NEPA is on strike) etc, but they can and have actually gone on strike before. I recall in 2003 I believe, the junior officers also then went on a strike. The IG and the senior police officers threaten fire and brimstone on any junior officer found “on strike” but that day by 5pm it was eerily quite in Lagos, there was no traffic jam, everybody ran home to be safe. You see no body wanted to take any chances. At that time I discovered that a “N20” police is better than a “N10” armed robber.

Ok what are the police grievances? The usual, lack of promotions, delayed promotions, very bad working conditions etc, do they have a point? Are u kidding? Been to a police barracks lately? The Nigerian Police is a sorry institution, it’s sorry because of no fault of their making, they have been made sorry.
Again I ask have you been a police barracks. There has to be a realty show called “how long you can eat and not throw up in a Nigerian police barracks”. It is awful. Open sewers, blackened walls, no running water, etc, and these are the guys we send out to guard mansions in Asokoro and lkoyi? Whose fault? Was money approved for the repair of these barracks? yes money is always approved, in the 2009 budget, Police has the second highest allocation after Education; about N183 billion plus. So how much will it cost to renovate a barrack? The worst thing is that it’s a privilege to even have a space in these places, God forbid you get yourself killed by armed robbers or worse run over by a mad Honda driving woman, your family will be thrown out of there in a flash. And we wonder why they disappear when the armed robbers show up?

FACT we hear of officers nabbed by taskforce X for collecting “N20” but the former IG was caught red-handed with billions, what happened to him? Is the case still in court? What was the pleas bargain details? Did he refund anything to the state?

FACT Police trainees in the training schools are made to buy their own shoes and equipment, theses are trainees ooh, and there is a federal budget for training, so are you surprised they ask for “N20”. what are they trained on? can they use a computer? can they shoot straight, can they perform emergency first aid? can they defend themselves without a gun?

FACT the average junior police earns about N35,000.00 a month. Before they got this, their average salary a month was about N10,000.00. Then a police man did not actually know his salary, he was not paid through a bank, nor did he get a pay slip, there is usually a “pay parade” and he lines up and is given his salary in cash. If he was recruited in Sokoto, his pay point will be in Sokoto forever, if he is transferred to Lagos on assignment or posting his salary will still be made in Sokoto. So the poor guy in Lagos has to make do with “N20”. Things are now getting better; they now have a pay slip because of pension reform. And we wonder why they are so corrupt.

FACT the IG has reportedly requested for N2.9trillion to revamp the police force, peanuts! We also read the president, vice president, governors, ministers and their aides earn N1.3 trillion a year! So since 1999 we have spend N10trilion (or more) on salaries and perks for the less than 5,000 people, there are 366,000 police officers, do the maths.
FACT The Police have no fingerprint, Forensics DNA lab in the whole of Nigeria, to solve cases they torture. Wonder why Bola Ige (serving Minister of Justice) Alfred Rewane, Harry Marshall, Funsho Williams’s cases have not been solved.
Guys I can go on and on, point is we are getting what we are allowing. Would it be a stretch to employ only graduates as police officers, to pay a minimum of N100,000.00 as monthly salary, with full life insurance, mortgage and car loans, also add free child education in the event of death. How much would that cost us as a nation? Well less than N10 trillion over 10 years. Can you drive your new Toyota Prado if there was no policeman, can you open a shop in Oshodi if there was no police man? There cannot be security unless every street has a cop simply walking and watching.

usually the police motto is “protect & Serve” in Nigeria the motto is “to Protect (all and only the banks, oil companies, politicians, and big men and women) and Serve (only Aso rock). All the mobile police men are now used as personal bodyguards, so who will investigate petty crime in Mushin? who will control traffic in Kano City? Who will protect referee during football games in Aba?
Please guys lets show our cops some respect, it’s not their fault they look ragged and demand “N20” from you at gunpoint. Will we have found it funny if a lady bobby or NYPD officer was run over by a mad lady in a Honda? Take a Nigerian police man out of Nigeria and they excel, the UN always looks for our cops. Even in Nigeria have you seen cops in Calaber? They are smart looking, the even wear gloves! Because Duke looked after them. if there is a police post near your house , this weekend buy juice, or even water and gala and give them, they will appreciate it.

The politicians keep the police men in penury so they can use them to settle scores, abi will you tell a police man who earns N150,000.00 a month, has a wife and 3 kids in university, with a neat apartment in Ikeja to carry a stuffed ballot box during elections? He will simply arrest you. The democracy we crave starts from having someone to enforce it, the Police the Judiciary workers, God bless them, they are doing their best.

Its our problem, we can solve it.

Kalu Aja