The prevailing argument over the Nigerian Police!

There is no gain saying, that the average Nigerian, on hearing the word "Police!", hisses, makes a face, utters a curse or even does all at the same time!

The question is, why is the very name which ordinarily should put a beam of hope and relief on the face of the average Nigerian in distress, now associated with woes,corruption and trouble itself , when mentioned.

The average Nigerian will rather mourn a theft loss than report to the Police, all because he does not want to compound his woes with their sluggishness and inefficiency. Victims have become comfortable with terms like; 'Thank God nobody was injured','Leave them, you will get another one' or 'God knows why it happened', when there has been a crime, instead of, 'have you called the police'?

There have been many debates on this subject over the years and two schools of thought standout:

1. The group that thinks that the remuneration/working conditions of the police somewhat justifies the rate of corruption and indiscipline recorded among them and
2. The other group that thinks that no excuse whatsoever, justifies corruption especially among the police whose job it is to enforce criminal laws.

Prior to now, I have vacillated between these two opinions, sometimes being swayed by the fact that perhaps if they were paid better, they would behave better. However, I have come to take a firm stand on and I now lean towards the second school of thought.

One of the arguments usually raised by the first school of thought is that when you compare the net pay of the Police officer in Nigeria with that of his counterpart in Countries like the US or the UK, you will realize that they are underpaid and as such will have to make up for the short fall "somehow".

I read an article recently, where the writer went as far as asking his readers, how many of them have cooked food and taken to the police man at his duty post or bought him a pair of shoes for a change and so on. The first question that popped in my mind was, how many doctors have been so fed because they treated a patient who was under their care? The patient was admitted at a charge and its is their duty for crying out loud. 

I took time to check out the salary scale of the police in three developed countries of the world. USA, UK and Singapore.

No doubt they are paid  far higher. But then I also found out that the pay, somehow varies depending on the particular city. In the US for example a police officer in New York may earn higher than the one in Illinois. So, maybe the argument should be the decentralization of the Nigerian Police which in my opinion will work better for a country as large as Nigeria..

Firstly, let us be reminded that these three countries mentioned above are adjudged first world countries while Nigeria is a third world country.

Secondly, the tax system in these countries are so well established that while the take home pay of the Police officer in US for example may appear so gigantic, it is usually humbled by the equally gigantic taxes he has to pay. An average income earner in the US pays between 10% -35% of that income as tax. We all know how the tax system in Nigeria operates, I do not want to dwell on that but I will say, there is basically no comparison between the two.

Thirdly, in computing pay rolls, the government or its agencies take into consideration the standard and cost of living in the particular country/city in question.

While a 3 bedroom flat say in the FCT, Lagos or Port Harcourt which are by far the most expensive cities in Nigeria may cost 1million to 1.5 million Naira in a year, a 3 bedroom flat in City centers in the US or Singapore will cost about N2.9million Naira, for one year.

When it comes to transportation for example, the taxi flat/starting rate in Singapore and the US is SGD3.00 and $2.74 respectively i.e. about N386. In plain language, you will pay this just for entering the taxi and also pay whatever your additional fare is, depending on the distance covered.

The above examples were cited because most Nigerians especially those of us in Diaspora usually compare what we see in these countries to the conditions in Nigeria, not putting into perspective the differences in  developmental level and prevailing circumstances.
In any case, there is no basis for comparison because no matter what we think Nigeria is Nigeria, not the UK not the US and we must work within our means as it is, for now.

Having given the above comparative analysis, my stance on this subject which is in favour of the second school of thought stems from two fundamental questions.

1. What are the duties of the police, are these duties spelled out upon recruitment?
2. Is the average man who is joining the force made to know what he will be earning before he signs up for it?

If these two questions are answered in the affirmative, of which I am doubly sure they would, then the man in uniform is estopped from any far reaching excuse of low incentives or remuneration as reasons why he must commit or aid crime in order to 'make up' for what he feels he should earn.

In recent times we have heard, seen and read very disheartening news in different parts of the country where innocent Nigerians have lost their lives because they refused to give the usual N20 or more, which has so become common place as if it was part of the Police entitlements. In these cases is either they were hit by "accidentally discharged" bullets or they met their untimely death in an accident while trying to drive off.

Recently in Umuahia Abia State, a pregnant woman lost her life and that of her unborn child because a bus driver refused to pay the N20 (egunje) and made to escape, only to run into the woman who was petty trading by the road side.The same Police quickly arrested him for manslaughter!

The vibe is that Nigerians are ungovernable, many say we treat the police like rubbish. But I am of the opinion that at least 85% of Nigerians are very law abiding, so far as the State and its agencies are working effectively.
In Akwa Ibom State for instance, Uyo to be precise, hardly will you find any motor cyclist ( popularly called Okada) without his helmet plus he will never use the wrong turn.These are Nigerians and yes they observe the regulations to the later because their system works.

Take Lagos for instance, it was hell let loose until recent times. Despite the fact that the population in Lagos is overwhelming, and has been for a very long time, anyone would tell you today that some sanity has returned to that state.Today, the fear of LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) is the beginning of wisdom in Lagos. The reason? LASTMA has been seen to be effective.

The demeanor of the average Nigerian police man is that of a man who has been beaten into what he did not want for himself or who is where he is not supposed to be. Such a person merits no respect as far as am concerned because, the respect he deserves is accorded him based on his uniform.

There are very few of them who love their job and the question I can't find an answer to is, who sent them there in the first place?

To be a police man is to be a police man! The day the civilian decided to take up uniform, was also the day he decided to stand by his choice, in between ,there are no short cuts.

Nigeria is our country and our job is to protect it and help it grow. If the local farmer in the rural areas can be content with his lot and not go on rampage killing and looting people, I do not see why someone will make the excuse of work conditions of a job he CONSCIOUSLY took up, as his justification for committing the very crimes he was employed to fight against.

Granted that the Nigerian Police is no where near equipped in terms of modern technology and gadgets and still employs crude methods in its operations, the fact remains that the Police is not alone in this. All public offices in Nigeria are in fact ill equipped. But the way to protest these issues is definitely not to take it out on the citizenry and in fact aid in the breakdown of the very Law and Order they were employed to uphold.

I will like to reiterate here ,just in case it is beginning to elude us , that in Nigeria, giving or receiving bribe is  a crime covered under Chapter 12 of the Criminal Code Act.

Any type of inhumane treatment or unjustified harassment of an individual is an offence against the individual's fundamental rights under the Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in any case the Police man in Nigeria is bound by his oath of office and must carry out his duties within the ambit of the Police Act,Cap 359 LFN.

Every Nigerian should also understand that the gun wielding Police man is not above the law just because he has a gun.They are as much under the Law as the Civilian is and can be put in check when they are made to know that you are not ignorant. In any event, any Nigerian can  Contact ICPC
(Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission) to report any abuse of power or office by the police . There are also a thousand and one orgnisations actively fighting Human Right causes in Nigeria that can be contacted in case of police brutality.
The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria also offers free legal services for indigent Nigerians and can be contacted in every state in Nigeria at least through its National Youths Service Clinics.

"Give your boys something", " Oga, you know what to do", "Don't waste my time", are all ways of asking for bribe.

So next time, when a police man uses these phrases or any similar phrase at all, Nigerians are urged to be bold to remind the man in uniform that he is asking for a bribe and to maintain their ground and not shy away.
Let's not also hesitate to come to the aid of another Nigerian suffering at the hands of these men and if you suffer a grievance such that you want to press charges, please do seek legal advice.