Police Are Not VIPs’ Guards

Former chairman of the Police Service Commission Mr Parry Osayande once revealed, on the floor of the Senate, that over 100,000 out of the 330,000 policemen in the country were attached to “a few fortunate” individuals to carry handbags for their wives. On many occasions, former inspectors-general of police had made policy statements threatening the withdrawal of police officers from such “illegal” duties. A few days after he came into office, the current IGP Mohammed Abubakar, like his predecessors Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero, Mike Okiro, Ogbonna Onovo and Hafiz Ringim, issued the same directive. On February 13, 2012, he said his order was with immediate effect.

But the withdrawal of all approved police guards -- including those donated by the Special Protection Unit and the Mobile Police Unit as well as conventional policemen sent out as guards to companies and influential citizens -- has not been implemented. Yet, the directive, if it had been heeded, would have bolstered professionalism, efficiency and integrity in the performance of police duties and raised the bar of public security. By law, only the president, vice-president, governors, council chairmen, magistrates and judges are entitled to police guards. The privilege has, however, been abused by senior police officers in charge of police commands and formations who assign junior officers to privileged individuals for pecuniary gains.

It is an absurdity carried far. The use of policemen as personal aides and guards has become a status symbol in the country. Sometimes, these officers are used for personal vendetta and in settling political scores and personal grudges against less privileged citizens.  There are instances of some public officers, who are not authorised by law but parade more than 50 armed security agents each in their entourage. Many heads of government agencies, special task forces and ministers have policemen and other security personnel drafted to protect them, their spouses and children immediately they assume office. A majority of Nigerian lawmakers are among the privileged citizens that have coveted the services of the few available security personnel in the nation.

For a country that is far behind the recommended one policeman to 10,000 persons, this is unacceptable. We know that this odious practice has endured because the beneficiaries are usually politicians, wealthy businessmen and the like that the successive IGPs could not afford to offend. Nevertheless, the police authorities are quick to acknowledge the escalating crime rate in the country, especially attacks by undesirable elements that kill, kidnap and maim innocent and law-abiding Nigerians.

It will serve greater public interest for the IGP to muster the courage to stop this patently unethical, unjust undertaking by evenly deploying the few officers available to strategic places. The police are meant to protect all of us, not just the wealthy, powerful and influential few who can afford to pay them extra fees.

ASUU DEMANDS WILL CRIPPLE GOVT – FG

ASUU DEMANDS WILL CRIPPLE GOVT – FG

Labaran Maku

The Federal Government has said that the nation will shut down if all the demands by striking university lecturers were to be met.

Information Minister Labaran Maku stated this in Abuja yesterday while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
He was specifically reacting to why the government was yet to reach a compromise with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) amidst its claim of spending huge resources on the development of tertiary education in the country.
Maku appealed to the ASUU to have a rethink on its demands and understand that there were many competing demands from other sectors.
He said the huge funds spent to restore normalcy in some hitherto crisis-torn parts of the North could have been used to develop the educational sector. 
“If we say we will not work until every particular problem we face in this country is resolved, then, I am sure there is no sector that will work. If we all insist that every sector’s problem must be completely solved, that we will down tools and that we will not work, then, the country will stop working,” he said.
“We are partners of the ASUU. We are friends. They are our patriots, and we understand the critical role that the universities teachers are playing in creating a new society that we are hoping to have. But at the same time, this is a reality question that we need to look at and we have to put the nation first.
“I know that all of us desire more from the system, but the truth is that there are limitations and from the limitations we have, we believe that the ASUU really needs to do rethink and ensure that we reopen our universities because really, we are feeling the pain of our children being at home and this, indeed, is completely avoidable,” Maku said
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ASUU Strike: Sex Workers Invade Kaduna

The strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over two months ago has taken another dimension as female students in Kaduna Metropolis have turned to prostitution.

LEADERSHIP checks revealed that the number of sex workers in the state has shot up since the strike action.

The sex workers are mostly seen along Rabah road, Muhammadu Buhari way, Constitution road and Independent road, all in Kaduna metropolis while others have moved into the Obalande area located around Cameroon road where they rent rooms in small hotels for their business.

Other student sex workers were also seen around Gwari avenue road, Barnawa and other hotels in the state capital where they meet their patrons.

One of the sex workers confided in LEADERSHIP that she was in the business to enable her meet her needs till the strikeis called off.

Another lady who claimed to be a final year student of one of the federal universities hailed ASUU for the strike.

According to her, “The strike, though will delay my graduation, is helping me gather funds for my upkeep when the strike is finally suspended.”

Another female undergraduate, who spoke with LEADERSHIP at one of the popular spots in the state capital, said, “we contribute money to pay for hotel rooms and we sometimes hire the rooms for several weeks to do business.

“Most of us do not have anybody that will take care of us and we even have our younger ones to cater for. So we have to do this business anytime we are on strike or holiday to survive.”

Asked when she intends to stop the business, she said, “anytime the strike is suspended, I will go back to school. But, I hope to stop this business as soon as I get a job after graduation.”