By Taiwo Olapade
The year 2024 is one of the many that Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry. It was filled with a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was a year Nigerians struggled to keep pace with the economic realities largely due to government policies, expected in the long run to change the narrative by improving the well-being of the people.
The year will also go down in history as one in which no fewer than 240 personnel of the Nigeria Police Force were killed between January 2023 and December 2024, according to a report by Daily Trust Newspaper. The officers were killed by bandits, hoodlums, gunmen, Boko Haram terrorists, cultists, and armed robbers across the country.
This development is not only scary and sad but also worrisome because if such a huge number of police officers, saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property, were killed in that manner, then the question should be: “What is the fate of ordinary civilians?”
For our fallen heroes who have sacrificed their lives so the rest of us can continue to enjoy life, I believe one of the ways to ensure that they do not die in vain is for the federal government and the Nigeria Police to track the payment of gratuities to their families. The police authorities should also refrain from the unacceptable style of ejecting bereaved families from the barracks during the mourning period. This will no doubt encourage officers still in service to continue to give their best to the nation.
I would like to commend the federal government for the recent recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force. Over the years, the nation has been grappling with enormous security challenges, largely due to insufficient personnel to do the job. No thanks also to the misplaced priority in terms of deployment, with the few available officers assigned to VIPs, diplomats, business moguls, politicians, clergy, and sometimes those in the showbiz industry.
Proper funding of the police for the provision of weapons and other necessary equipment to work with is non-negotiable. Recruitment of more men and adequate funding of the police are like Siamese twins, difficult to separate.
In the recently presented 2025 Appropriation Bill by President Tinubu to the joint session of the National Assembly, security was allocated ₦4.9 trillion, while the police got ₦6.2 billion. For every worker to give their best, welfare must be a priority to management, just as it should be for the Nigeria Police.
The Police Force, just like the military, deserves a salary that is worthy of being taken home. I do hope that the five-month-old new minimum wage was extended to the Police Force.
Regular training and retraining of our policemen should be of utmost concern to the leadership of the Nigeria Police. Such training is imperative for our personnel to keep in touch with modern times.
The issue of security is the duty of all and not just the responsibility of security outfits. The police must enjoy public trust, which has been lacking over the years, to enable voluntary information on the whereabouts of enemies of the state.
The year 2025 will see the long-awaited State Police come into effect following its endorsement by the Council of State, the National Economic Council, and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. The fear in some quarters that the State Police may be misused by governors against political opponents does not take precedence over the safety of the entire citizenry.
One of the ways governments at all levels could address the insecurity in the land is by improving the economy and providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This will have a multiplier effect on Nigerians by improving their overall well-being.
Happy New Year 2025.
