Adeola Aderounmu.

Half truths and blatant lies have ruined this country beyond comprehensible imagination. According to Mike Okiro, here are some figures that make Nigeria one of the safest countries in the world.In 3 months;

• 1 628 armed robbery suspects arrested
• 785 armed robbers killed in gun duels
• 62 Policemen died in the line of duty
• 1 582 arms recovered
• 6 514 ammunition recovered
• 242 stolen vehicles recovered

Mr. Okiro stated that his mission for the Nigerian Police is to bequeath to the country a people’s police that is friendly in outlook, efficient in service delivery and nurtured by a well motivated and dedicated workforce. Nicely stated! Mr. Okiro, well done for reciting a famous line.

By Nigerian context, it is arguable the figures presented by Okiro are unreal. Sixty-two officially dead policemen (ignoring women) can mean 620 for anyone who knows the difference between official figures and eye-witness accounts of incidents in Nigeria.  Mr. Okiro cannot be blamed for the infamous reputation of the Nigerian Police; neither does the blame or buck for the wave of armed robbery stopped at his doorstep. The problem with the Nigerian Police is very well connected to the Nigerian factor. Simply, the way we do many things in Nigeria is wrong. Our priorities are not well defined or they are simply misplaced.

Instead of coming to the public to awash the image of the Nigerian Police, Mr. Okiro would have done a better job by keeping quiet and then working behind the scene to re-structure the police in such a way that the public will see a motivated and dedicated police force in action (and not in empty words). The Nigerian Police should be well equipped to meet the challenges posed by the increase in crime in the country and the sophistication of the robbers. The police should upgrade with immediate effect. By all or any standard, the target should be to make the Police the most sophisticated security outfit within Nigeria. This is the only way to transfer the fear in the mind of the police to the armed robbers.  

In order to help Okiro with his job, other aspects of our lives should be critically examined. Among others, the goal will include to create jobs and employment opportunities for the youth and graduates. In a system where thousands of people in the human resources category are jobless or misplaced, the fight against crime cannot be won. Until such a time that crime will be the pastime of the socially deficient or misfits only, these figures presented by Mike Okiro can only be expected to rise.

Finally, Mr. Okiro will have to employ a statistician in the office of the AIG. The figures presented by Mr. Okiro are very significant statistically and they cannot be used to classify Nigeria as one of the safest countries in the world. Indeed, it will take more than a day’s job to change the face of the Nigerian Police from the type that requires 20 naira as a proof of life.

May the Glory of Nigeria come, soon!