Great /Nigerians and friends of Nigeria
The Federal Government of Nigeria has earmarked N10 billion for the 50th Independence day celebrations. As part of this profligate waste of funds there is currently a 2 day jamboree at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, in Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN. There has been no press release on the purpose of this conference, or why it is being held in one of the most expensive hotels in one of the most expensive cities, 6000km from our nation’s capital
We have already called and confirmed that this conference is taking place but they refuse to divulge further details
To the best of my knowledge there is no reason for 18 state governors, almost 12 ministers, dozens of ‘Special Assistants’ and officials to confer about 50 years of independence in London, whilst Nigerians suffer back home
Great Nigerians and friends of Nigeria please let us scupper this corrupt waste of Nigeria’s funds. Call Grosvenor House Hotel on 0207 499 6363, query whether the conference is ongoing and request the number of their manager/ complaints department. State that you intend to register your protest in writing, try and get as many details as they will give out.
The objective is to overwhelm the hotel’s switch board with calls, although the hotel is a business obviously following the money we need to make the cost of doing business with corrupt, useless officials higher than any benefits. With the resultant loss of business and adverse publicity, hotels will think twice before accepting such conferences
People, this is an easy one to achieve, lets get out and make this happen
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
An Urgent Need for Police Reform - By Dapo Kolawole
ATTENTION:
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE,
THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR POLICE AFFAIRS.
Dear Sirs,
As a concerned and tax paying citizen of Nigeria, I am constrained and compelled at this time to offer my opinion on how an efficient ,dynamic and 21st Century Police force should be structured and administered.
This would be itemized under the following points:
1. REMUNERATION AND REWARD SYSTEM FOR OFFICERS AND MEN OF POLICE FORCE
There is no doubt about this that a highly motivated force based on an enhanced remuneration and reward system would carry out their tasks of protecting the lives and properties the citizens of a country without compromising their conscience and values. The police officers salary should be commensurate with their counterparts in the private sector. This would go a long way to prevent corruption, enhance the psyche of the officers, and increase their morale by making sure they are economically empowered to compete in the same market where their fellow well paid citizens also access.
Also the reward system in terms of promotions and preferential postings should be overhauled and strictly based on performance. There must be a set of key performance indexes which may be measured on a quarterly or half year basis.
A good pay and reward system would attract good brains that have character. If am well paid on my job, I will not be looking for bribes or ways of circumventing the law.
2. COMMUNICATION & MOBILITY
For any Police force to be highly effective, they must be equipped with fast moving vehicles that are installed with a nationwide VHF (Very High Frequency) radio system for communication with colleagues and other security agencies, plus a constantly updated database of all registered License plates, and drivers’ license showing history of vehicle ownership. A highly visible police presence on its own can act as deterrence to criminals and all criminal tendencies.
We must ensure fast moving, efficient, durable and highly equipped vehicles must be acquired for the police in order to guarantee their performance. Also unmarked police vehicles should be used to patrol black spots like train and bus terminals, highways, dark areas, expressways prone robberies e.g.Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Benin-Ore, the Northern and eastern highways. As a matter of expediency, all police officers on duty should be equipped with walkie talkies (hand held radios).Provision of APCs’ (Armored Personnel carrier) and modern weapons to combat high scale crime is also needed.
For ease of maintenance of the vehicles purchased, arrangement should be made with the suppliers and manufactures of the vehicles to establish maintenance workshops in the different zones of the police commands. This would reduce cost of maintenance, eradicate corruption and prolong the life span of the vehicles. Drivers and users of the vehicles should be lectured on the proper usage of the vehicle.
3. INFRASTRUCTURE: HOUSING, UNIFORM&KITS, STATIONERY, FURNITURE
The police barracks and stations are no go areas in terms of hygiene, portable water supply and electricity supply. A concerted effort should be made to build house for officers in active service. Houses should also be allocated based on ranks and family size to avoid over population.
In the case of urgent need for deployment of officers to troubled spots, a centrally pooled workforce would be easier to deploy.
Adequate supply of uniforms and kits to all personnel in the force should be made on a regular basis. It’s disheartening to see your men in tattered and dirty uniforms. The current uniform been worn by some senior officers would not be ideal for your lower ranks who cannot maintain the black colored uniform. A set of 5 pairs of uniform, plus at least two pairs of boots, belts and berets would not be a bad idea.
Mr IG sir, it is disheartening to get to a police station in order to make a statement and the first thing you are told to do is to buy or pay for an exercise book or plain sheets in other to make a statement. There should be official police stationery printed with police emblem to make statements in order to enhance the ease of documentation and sanctity of police reports and statements. Also, it is an eyesore to see newly relocated officers hanging their clothes and sleeping in their offices.
4. DISCIPLINE AND TRAINING
A highly disciplined and well trained force is essential to delivering set targets and goals of providing security for lives and properties. Discipline must be instilled at all levels of the workforce.
Training and retraining of officers must be carried out on a regular basis with special focus on human rights, weapon handling, communication skills, new interrogation techniques (torture is outdated), exposure to new equipment and technology. Training in information technology should be made compulsory and the entry requirement should be raised in order to attract the best in the country.
Respect for human lives and for colleagues should be entrenched. The MOPOL officers are highly undisciplined even to their superior officers and they harass civilians at the slightest provocation.
Physical training should not end at the Police College, constant physical training should be included the weekly training and reorientation program for all personnel across board.
A complete overhaul of the SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) unit especially in the South East should be done immediately as they have become so notorious, complacent and wicked in the handling of suspects. This method has not reduced the rate of crimes of all forms in the south east. Collusion and compromise with criminals is highly suspected. All officers who have overstayed their respective postings should be redeployed as they would have been over familiar with the indigenes and their environment which is not good for efficient service delivery.
You also need to embark on massive recruitment of police officers as the present ratio of police to civil population is grossly inadequate. Resuscitation of your dead finger print units is also essential.
Lastly, do not ask me where you will get the money to implement this reform as you can easily start with 10 billion naira budgeted for the proposed 50 years celebration of baby Nigeria in October 2010.Otherwise please liaise with Senator David Mark and Honorable Dimeji Bankole to amend the constitution so that the Nigeria Police should be placed on a first line charge like the National Assembly, Judiciary e.t.c. or a cut in the excesses available at all levels of governance will suffice. A public and private sector partnership as seen in the Lagos State model of provision of adequate security will help you too.
I'm available for further clarification and free consultation via email on: kogdapus@yahoo.com
Oladapo Kolawole a Public Opinion analyst wrote from Lagos Nigeria.
Monday, June 7, 2010
..........Still On Power Rotation and PDP
The leaders of the People’s Democratic Party seems to have reached a consensus that the zoning/power rotation agreement should be dumped. As expected, political jingoists have all jumped on the bandwagon. Anti-power rotation now seems to be flavour of the month in the PDP. Those who told us seven months ago that there’s no vacancy in Aso Rock, have suddenly become the arrowheads of the anti-rotation campaign.
Even members of the cabal who held sway during Yar’Adua’s administration, engaging in all manners of public deception and manipulation in order to hold on to power have also now become Apostles of anti-zoning.
It’s common knowledge that Nigerian masses have been so impoverished to the point that they now care less about the ethnic origin of their leaders. The underdevelopment has reached a point that, if the Constitution permits a foreigner to be President, and the masses can be guaranteed good quality of life, they will be more than happy to have him/her as President. The man on the street just wants to see food on the table. All he wants is decent healthcare, employment, good quality education and infrastructure.
And it’s for these obvious reasons that anti-zoning has become a ‘populist’ idea. Unlike in the past, the political elites have realised that ethnic sentiments seems not to wash with the citizenry. The benefactors of the so-called power rotation even find it difficult to convince that man on the street, because it has offered him no value whatsoever. So the only option available is for them to join the bandwagon and spread the anti-rotation propaganda. They know fully well that , it’s what the public wants to hear.
But in all of this, we need to ask ourselves if all these Apostles and Evangelist of anti-rotation are really acting in the public interest. They may be telling us what we want to hear, but does that mean they have our interest at heart?
Supporters of anti-rotation in the PDP fall broadly into two categories. There are those who want to use Goodluck Jonathan to rule the nation by proxy. They failed with Umaru Yar’Adua, because he wasn’t a stooge they expected him to be. A Goodluck Jonathan presidency therefore presents another opportunity for them to form their own ‘cabal’. These are ‘politically expired’ individuals who see Goodluck Jonathan presidency as the only way to become politically relevant once again. For them, it’s a ‘third term’ by proxy, as they can continue to rule the nation from Otta farm.
The second group are those who have been subconsciously coerced into anti-rotation bandwagon. Left to them alone, they would rather keep rotating power. Members of this group have had their hands soiled in all manners of corrupt activities. They know their case files are still within reach of anti-corruption agencies. And with the return of the likes of Nuhu Ribadu, it’s in their own interest that they ‘fall in line’. Any show of dissent means their files will be dusted up very quickly. A case in point is the ongoing prosecution of the former PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor.
And it’s only for this reason that the likes of Senator Jubril Aminu, who is currently facing investigation on his alleged role in the Siemens bribery scandal, can support anti-rotation. It is also the reason why ‘criminals’ like, former Attorney-General of the Federation, can say ‘zoning’ is unconstitutional.
Some may argue that power rotation is a PDP policy, so why waste precious time discussing an issue that has no place in our constitution. The truth is, we cannot afford to be oblivious to the fact that PDP remains the only dominant party in Nigeria’s polity. Like it or loathe it, it remains the only political party with a structure to win a presidential election. And whilst we may not all be card carrying members of PDP, any decision made by the party will inevitably have a huge impact on the nation’s political landscape.
It’s now very obvious that Apostles of anti-rotation in the PDP are not doing the masses any favour. They are doing do so only to pave way for a Goodluck Jonathan presidency. They see a Goodluck Jonathan presidency as an opportunity to perpetuate themselves in power and exert their political influence.
I have no issues with PDP’s plan to dump its rotation policy. However, any attempt to jettison the rotation policy must be done properly. As I noted in my last post, the rotation policy is more than a gentleman’s agreement as it is enshrined in the PDP constitution. It’s only when the PDP expunge Section 7(2)C from the party constitution that we will know that it is really serious about dumping power rotation. Until then, any attempt to disregard the policy in order to pave way for a supposed ‘anointed’ candidate come 2011, will only sweep the issue under the carpet.
And unless the nation graduates from its current one-party political system to a level where we have formidable opposition parties, the issue of power rotation will remain with us for a long time. The attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet will only complicate things further in the future.
If the status quo remains, Goodluck Jonathan will more than likely succeed in remaining in power beyond 2011. And unless the opposition gets its acts together, there’s the high likelihood he will rule for two terms until 2019 (except he does a Yar’Adua). But with Section 7(2)C still enshrined in the party constitution, the question is, what will happen after 2019?
Even members of the cabal who held sway during Yar’Adua’s administration, engaging in all manners of public deception and manipulation in order to hold on to power have also now become Apostles of anti-zoning.
It’s common knowledge that Nigerian masses have been so impoverished to the point that they now care less about the ethnic origin of their leaders. The underdevelopment has reached a point that, if the Constitution permits a foreigner to be President, and the masses can be guaranteed good quality of life, they will be more than happy to have him/her as President. The man on the street just wants to see food on the table. All he wants is decent healthcare, employment, good quality education and infrastructure.
And it’s for these obvious reasons that anti-zoning has become a ‘populist’ idea. Unlike in the past, the political elites have realised that ethnic sentiments seems not to wash with the citizenry. The benefactors of the so-called power rotation even find it difficult to convince that man on the street, because it has offered him no value whatsoever. So the only option available is for them to join the bandwagon and spread the anti-rotation propaganda. They know fully well that , it’s what the public wants to hear.
But in all of this, we need to ask ourselves if all these Apostles and Evangelist of anti-rotation are really acting in the public interest. They may be telling us what we want to hear, but does that mean they have our interest at heart?
Supporters of anti-rotation in the PDP fall broadly into two categories. There are those who want to use Goodluck Jonathan to rule the nation by proxy. They failed with Umaru Yar’Adua, because he wasn’t a stooge they expected him to be. A Goodluck Jonathan presidency therefore presents another opportunity for them to form their own ‘cabal’. These are ‘politically expired’ individuals who see Goodluck Jonathan presidency as the only way to become politically relevant once again. For them, it’s a ‘third term’ by proxy, as they can continue to rule the nation from Otta farm.
The second group are those who have been subconsciously coerced into anti-rotation bandwagon. Left to them alone, they would rather keep rotating power. Members of this group have had their hands soiled in all manners of corrupt activities. They know their case files are still within reach of anti-corruption agencies. And with the return of the likes of Nuhu Ribadu, it’s in their own interest that they ‘fall in line’. Any show of dissent means their files will be dusted up very quickly. A case in point is the ongoing prosecution of the former PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor.
And it’s only for this reason that the likes of Senator Jubril Aminu, who is currently facing investigation on his alleged role in the Siemens bribery scandal, can support anti-rotation. It is also the reason why ‘criminals’ like, former Attorney-General of the Federation, can say ‘zoning’ is unconstitutional.
Some may argue that power rotation is a PDP policy, so why waste precious time discussing an issue that has no place in our constitution. The truth is, we cannot afford to be oblivious to the fact that PDP remains the only dominant party in Nigeria’s polity. Like it or loathe it, it remains the only political party with a structure to win a presidential election. And whilst we may not all be card carrying members of PDP, any decision made by the party will inevitably have a huge impact on the nation’s political landscape.
It’s now very obvious that Apostles of anti-rotation in the PDP are not doing the masses any favour. They are doing do so only to pave way for a Goodluck Jonathan presidency. They see a Goodluck Jonathan presidency as an opportunity to perpetuate themselves in power and exert their political influence.
I have no issues with PDP’s plan to dump its rotation policy. However, any attempt to jettison the rotation policy must be done properly. As I noted in my last post, the rotation policy is more than a gentleman’s agreement as it is enshrined in the PDP constitution. It’s only when the PDP expunge Section 7(2)C from the party constitution that we will know that it is really serious about dumping power rotation. Until then, any attempt to disregard the policy in order to pave way for a supposed ‘anointed’ candidate come 2011, will only sweep the issue under the carpet.
And unless the nation graduates from its current one-party political system to a level where we have formidable opposition parties, the issue of power rotation will remain with us for a long time. The attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet will only complicate things further in the future.
If the status quo remains, Goodluck Jonathan will more than likely succeed in remaining in power beyond 2011. And unless the opposition gets its acts together, there’s the high likelihood he will rule for two terms until 2019 (except he does a Yar’Adua). But with Section 7(2)C still enshrined in the party constitution, the question is, what will happen after 2019?
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