Professionalism, Reform And The Nigerian Police Force

The Nigeria Police Force is one of the most strategic institutions and, indeed, the largest and premier security agency in Nigeria.

Many other security agencies in the country emanated from it. For example, the Nigerian Security Organization, SSS or DSS, the Fire Brigade, the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to mention but a few.
The traditional cum constitutional role of the Police from precolonial times included protection of lives and property, fighting crime and ensuring public peace and safety in order to create the requisite enabling environment for both good governance and good businesses. The intention of the founding fathers of the Nigeria Police Force was glorious. Regrettably, poor orientation, faulty administrative machineries and trended misdemeanour have combined to stifle the Nigeria Police Force of its prowess, proficiency, efficiency and effectiveness. Our Police Force today is bedevilled with Corruption, Poor Public Image and all kinds of negative pastimes, so much so that one well known security chief had to say, “I'd rather parley with armed robbers than with Nigeria Police”!

According to Dr. Chukwuma, the worst enemies of the Nigeria Police Force are those who refused whole implementation of the recommendations of the Reform Committees set up by Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar'Adua, Late, and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, which reports were meant to reposition the Nigeria Police Force to take its rightful place in moving the Nigerian nation to limelight in the comity of nations.
He also indicted those resisting restructuring the Force along professional paradigms and those opposing changes in recruitment and training policies of the Force.
This book is one that I think has the magic wand to turn around the fortunes of the Nigeria Police Force leading to what Dr. Chukwuma ingenuously called the Nigerian Police of our Dream, The Nigeria Police Service, which will be fully professionalized and devoid of present day punitive transfers, corruption, muscle flexing, gagging, etc.

Accordingly, I am impressed to forward this text, “Professionalism, Reform and the Nigeria Police Force” and recommend it for our reading public, especially all those interested in the Nigerian Project, its Security, Safety and Prosperity in Peace and in the land of the living. It is my persuasion that if knowledge is power, then knowledge of these lofty ideals will rejuvenate the Nigeria Police Force to ably confront all militants, insurgents and other violent and vested criminals of the 21st century, within our shores. May the Nigerian Government Support this modest effort and may our Service Chiefs find it pleasurable to implement these recommendations from a very knowledgeable and concerned insider, who honestly deserves commendation and not condemnation.