FOR decades, Nigerians have complained about indiscipline, arbitrariness, unprofessionalism and brutality by officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) while they barely deliver on their primary mandate of protection of life and property. Perhaps that is about to change presently if President Bola Tinubu chooses to be different from his predecessors and makes good on his promise to carry out fundamental reforms in the force. The president had, at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Police Awards and Commendations ceremony held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, last week, identified the overhaul of the institutional mentality and memory of police officers as being fundamental to his administration’s ongoing bid to transform the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) into a modern, professional and accountable institution. He also harped on the need to engage men and women of the force in training and capacity building to equip them with the expertise required to carry out the arduous task of modern policing.
The president, whose speech titled “Courage Under Fire: A Bouquet for our Police Force” was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima, acknowledged that the country’s security architecture is being stretched beyond elastic limit, and that citizens have been able to persevere in the face of security threats as well as attacks on their lives and livelihoods due to the commitment of the police. He noted that his administration had been unequivocal about its resolve to transform the Nigeria Police Force into “a modern, professional, and accountable institution that mirrors the aspirations and values” of the country. He also promised that the reforms being contemplated would transcend superficial changes like repainting office buildings and residences or simply procuring firearms. The retooling, he averred, will involve the reform of security doctrine and its architecture, which would necessitate recognising the importance of administering justice and adhering to ethical values to foster stability and order in the country. Highlights of the reform, according to the president, include rejuvenation of the police force to include investment in training and capacity building with the goal of ensuring that police officers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, values and expertise required to tackle the complex challenges of modern policing. There is also an official plan to upgrade equipment and technology in order to enhance the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the force. All of this is to be complemented with the acquisition of fit-for-purpose equipment, weapons, ammunition, and armoured carriers to provide cover and protection for officers in combat situations.
In terms of identifying the challenges militating against the force’s optimal delivery on its core mandate and official solution prescriptions, the president would appear to be on the right path, but the big question is whether he will muster the requisite political will and commitment to fulfill his pledge. For even if the president’s proposed solutions are much more comprehensive and pragmatic than his predecessors’, they still sound like the similar proposals in the past that never saw the light of the day. Those lofty proposals all ended up as empty promises that did not impact the police conduct, discipline and welfare in any positive sense. It will, nonetheless, be gladdening to see President Tinubu act differently. The promise of official enhancement of the status of the officers and personnel of the force in and out of office, in particular, is of prime significance, and if fulfilled, it will go a long way in bolstering the dedication and commitment of the staffers in the execution of their mandate.
The Nigeria Police Force is the lead agency in the function of protecting life and property. It is in charge of fostering and preserving peace and stability in the social strata of the society. But sadly, the force has not been able to effectively perform that duty and mandate over the years due to decadence, decline in standards and lack of appropriate motivation. We would have liked to take at face value, the president’s promise that comprehensive reform of the force is imminent, but as we observed earlier, we are constrained by the sad experience of his predecessors’ failure to honour similar pledges in the past. We urge the president to note that no price can be considered too much to pay in order to right the wrongs in the existing policing system in the country. There has to be structural engineering that will give priority and premium to community policing and intelligence gathering and adoption of modern, sophisticated technology. Therefore, while it is salutary that the president recognises the necessity of police reform, it will be more gladdening if he can bring concrete expression to his proposals for reform in the months ahead.
We also observe that the president did not advert to a most critical issue, namely the decentralisation of the police force in Nigeria. That has to be done with dispatch because centralised policing has proved to be a failure. In other words, the changes being proposed to enhance the NPF’s effectiveness and efficiency in the execution of its core mandate of protecting life and property are incomplete or may be unachievable without devolving power to the sub-nationals to establish and run their own police.
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