AMBO: The Arrival

I drove past one of the new white salon cars presented to the Lagos state Police command yesterday by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode about noon today. The vehicle looked like a 2013 model of the Toyota Corolla and I was briefly alarmed that the governor opted for such relatively high profile vehicles for the use of the Nigerian police.

Ford salon cars

Some irreversible  pessimists have already gone unto social media to ridicule the purchase of “100 4-Door Salon Cars, 55 Ford Ranger Pick-Ups, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-Ups, 15 BMW Power Bikes, 100 Power Bikes, Isuzu Trucks, three (3) Helicopters, two(2) Gun Boats and 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers”. Some have described this as a waste of resources and misplaced priorities especially when viewed in the context of the “broke” status of the country. N4.765bn is the quoted figure spent to acquire these resources which also include Revolving Lights, Siren and Public Address System, Vehicular Radio Communicators, drones; Security Gadgets such as Bullet Proof Vests, Helmets, Handcuffs, Uniforms, Kits, riot shields. Insurance and Death Benefit Schemes for police officers are also part of the package.

Helicopter 

Why was I alarmed that more recent models of Toyota and Ford cars were given to the police? Very simple, the cars will be driven by male policemen. I can wager that some of those vehicles will end up with broken and bashed components before the weekend is over.  Nigerian Police officers are notorious for ruining vehicles given to them in the past; they are practically devoid of any maintenance culture or sense of responsibility to handle police property with care. One may ask why this is so; I think the simplest answer to that is the fact that we run a centralized police structure in Nigeria. The fellow who drove a police Hilux van recklessly in Lagos yesterday could be redeployed to Damaturu tomorrow where he would also recklessly drive into the ground whatever he meets there. It is the same way some policemen who have shot civilians get posted away from the location of their crime to escape the scrutiny of the law.

 

Gunboat

I was almost overrun by a police pickup truck a few months ago on Bode-Thomas Street in Lagos on my way to church. The object of the truck’s pursuit was a fleeing “Danfo” bus; both vehicles encroached on the walkway to evade opposing vehicles and I wondered what crime the bus driver committed to warrant such high speed chase. I have also seen a police vehicle rammed into a wall on Eric Moore road like it was driven by a drunken driver. It will take enormous work to replace the mentality of the average Nigerian police officer to begin to do things right and with dignity.

What Lagos state has done is what should be replicated all across the country. The emergence of Major General Aguyi Ironsi as the supreme commander of the military and Nigeria in January 1966 led to the abolishment of the 3 Regional governments that existed at that time. The country was further dismembered into states over the next 30 years many of which are unable to do just what Lagos did yesterday as they only function to disburse salaries to ghost and palpable workers alike. It may be important for some states or geographical regions to pool their resources together to equip a state or regional police force which will be well suited to handling their peculiar security issues. I do not think it is wisdom to continue with the method of deploying and redeploying officers to police states and zones where their loyalty to the people cannot be guaranteed. What we have are mercenaries who will be ready tools in the hands of a few influential and mighty because they know they could be easily moved on to greener pasture when their deed is done and tenure is over. We can learn a few things from even “area boys” with respect to security. They are able to organize themselves and provide security if a good tip is provided and a small dose of respect in employed when addressing them. One can imagine what we could have made of these ones if the rot in the educational sector a few decades ago did not happen. Locals should be policing their communities; religious organizations know this and do not fail to invite the so-called area boys to security meetings when they have events to organize.

The police is an industry in my opinion; a massive institution to create jobs and reduce unemployment. We encounter private security outfits at events all over the country and many of the young men involved are well built and definitely able to cope with police duties if they had been wooed. These new cars will definitely get bashed and would need regular repairs and maintenance; it is not spirits who will do this job. The country can boast of many expert motorcycle riders who can rival the likes of Valentino Rossi and Marquez of this world. These young people know every nook and cranny of Lagos state and beyond like the back of their hands; one can just imagine how effective they could be if deployed as patrol officers with the police. One wonders what the young Nigerian minds could do with drone technology in this day and age.  Danfo drivers are not alien to high speed chases; they could easily serve as drivers for the police if properly trained. Many Nigerian youths have been classified as untrainable and lost to the vices of society but these ones still serve as mentors to children who have no other options for role models or parents. The system can be structured to harness these ones including those deemed lost and plough them into training program that can turn them into responsible human beings and police officers. Policemen need uniforms, food, stationery, groceries etc. like every other citizen; it is high time we stopped allowing them to be treated like errand boys wearing khaki shorts during the colonial era.

I strongly believe in a decentralized police force so that internal security duties can be structured based on the peculiarities of different regions and zones. State governments will be able to plan appropriately instead of having the uncertainties of deployments from Abuja scuttle their efforts and set them back a few years. The Lagos government has made a very brilliant move; good money has been spent for a worthy cause. The other state governments have to also spend money for the sake of security and to get the economy of their states going. They should not expect the government at the center to stimulate them to work; very little will get done that way. There is so much that can be done with agriculture in the entire North central region of the country from Kwara through Nassarawa to Taraba. The potential which is inherent in the entire landmasses of the North West and North East is enormous. Hiking, mountain climbing and safaris are activities capable of attracting tourists to our nation.

The police should be directed on the path of professionalism. They could have facilitators amongst them who would help in training security teams of corporations and other institutions. They could also be involved in touring secondary schools to educate students on issues pertaining to law and order; catching them young. The restoration of the respect and dignity of the force should be top of Lt. Gen. Dambazau’s agenda as Minister of Interior. If internal security is resolved and well managed, the chances of insurgent and militant groups festering would be greatly reduced. Joining the police should not be regarded as a duty for society’s misfits; the very best amongst us should be shouldered with the responsibility of ensuring we are secure within our borders.

Governor Ambode has done well; those who were lampooning him for the water shortages and acute traffic jams are now singing his praises and celebrating his vision. I think the people should exercise a little more restraint when criticizing; it is important we observe situations critically and follow whatever information is released. We should utilize confirmed press releases and speeches made by our political leaders to keep them in check and demand for performance instead of just getting easily swayed by emotion and sometimes the evil contraptions of those who are still dressing the wounds of the last administration. I do not know if Governor Ambode’s calculation of what was spent is accurate but that is not my worry. I am glad someone had the capacity to invest in something which should affect the entire populace positively; that should be commended and used as a springboard to demand even more performance.

The United Kingdom Police utilizes diesel powered cars as patrol, Response, Area and Traffic vehicles. These vehicles are fuel efficient and they also use other specifications of cars depending on the function to be carried out. Such should be the yardstick with which our governments should measure themselves to ensure wastages are halted and tax payers’ money efficiently utilized.

I guess Governor Ambode has finally arrived from wherever he was coming from.

Ambode bamboozles Dambazau and Arase...??

However the only thing not commissioned by the Governor was ........

GAME ON!!!

Before the APC elected president Buhari as the party's flag bearer in 2014, many Nigerians screamed that he was an old option and that the party needed relatively fresh men like Raji Fashola to run for the highest office in the land.  The funny bit of all this is that even some Jonathan apologist suggested that they could have considered thinking of backing the APC if a certain BRF was the point man. A few others simply turned their backs on Buhari because they paid full attention to Nnamdi Kanu, some clergy and PDP politicians who played the ethno-religious card. 

Fast forward to almost 12 months later,  Raji Fashola is now the minister of Power, Works and Housing and some people are already speculating that this role is going to paralyse his shoulders.  Is this not the same man who many wished that he became president or vice president at least?  What better opportunity is there for him to audition for the office of president of the federation? He has a ministry formed from the fusion of two ministries from previous administrations which includes one chronically ill one. 

My colleague asked me this morning about my impressions of yesterday's inauguration. I told him the list was perfect but he cautioned me that nothing was perfect and I agreed wholeheartedly with that.  I was surprised at some of the appointments but some I accurately predicted (at least to myself). Finance,  foreign affairs and internal affairs were some I couldn't have predicted correctly.  Health was the perfect choice while Amaechi and Fashola must be ready with their umbrellas and sun screen creams as they will be working more often than not outdoors.  

Overall I am satisfied and optimistic that we are in for a swell ride to 2019 and beyond.  There are many professors mismanaging hospitals,  higher institutions and other agencies;  junior or Senior minister all they are required to do is shelve their egos and do their jobs. The president is indeed a very funny individual;  he definitely shattered ribs when he announced himself as the substantive minister of petroleum resources and when he added "her excellency " when he called Mama Taraba. Those who are quick to say that he can't handle a portfolio should know that the prime minister of Canada who they readily reference has another portfolio which he directs. 

As for me,  I am looking for recommendations and connections to gain access into the ministry of environment.  I have realised that I may have a calling in issues that pertain to the Eco system and some of the things the United nations is always talking about.  I have no doubt that the atmosphere in that ministry would be perfect for me to work;  I will no doubt be loyal and respond perfectly to instructions issued by the new minister there.

DIRECTOR AND TERRORIST

I remember the first day I came across a Youtube video of a certain Nnamdi Kanu sometime last year and just before the march towards the 2015 elections gathered momentum. I in fact watched two videos, the first an interview by Rudolf Okonkwo and the second interview done by two individuals.

A certain Terry Paulson from the second interview is supposed to be an American psychologist who finished from a theological seminary. The elderly man must have been overly awed by the mixture of jargon and fiction which Nnamdi Kanu spewed from his jaws; he seemed to believe the story about the Igbo race being Zion and that the Muslim North of Nigeria was poised to annihilate the Lord’s chosen tribe in poor Nigeria.

Nnamdi Kanu from both interviews (and from just about every broadcast he has made since then) thrash-talked Nigeria and called the nation diverse derogatory names; he also did not hold back from lampooning Igbo leaders and the governors at that time for several offences he judged and sentenced them for. The man’s red blood cells are coated with lies and one wonders how such an individual can enjoy such followership and be allowed to roam across oceans cap in hand and spreading his hepatitis. He has completely turned history on its head and calls God in the same sentence as AK47s.

My first real exposure to literature containing images of the Biafran civil war was in the 1990s as a secondary school student. We learnt about “Panku” in social studies but there was not one mention of Ojukwu. Children grew up knowing who was good or bad mainly from whatever their parents told them; it was not difficult therefore to know getting married to someone from one region or another was not a topic for discussion.

The history of Nigeria has been regrettably mutilated by opportunists like Nnamdi Kanu and just about everyone else who pushes for ethnic or religious supremacy. Nnamdi has told “mugus” like Paulson that his people who dominate key markets in Nigeria live in cages from where they are periodically slaughtered. He made so much noise in 2014 when Goodluck Jonathan was still the president vowing to liberate his people or die trying. His mode now is to equate President Buhari to Boko Haram and seek for endorsement with hardware support from successful Igbo people in diaspora. He was at the Igbo World Congress a few weeks ago where he continued his rants and openly demanded for weaponry. He said such comedic statements about triangles, the blood moon and how the whole of Europe was awaiting the end of the world which would be heralded by the rise of Biafra.

Who even listens to and claps for such demented talk? I truly blame those who must have paid his airfare to California just to massage their ego and fulfil their dreams. He duly got very sensible responses from some of those in attendance and they clearly did not seem interested in kamikazes and Chuck Norris stunts in 2015. It is indeed tragic that supposedly educated individuals would justify this kind of agitation under the guise of supporting the right of the Igbos to self-determination. How can any sane individual justify religious supremacy and violence in 2015 because of events that happened about 50 years ago?

It is important that we get our history right and not deliberately complicate it to deride any ethnic group or to misinform those who do not know. The summary of the 1967-1970 civil war is that it was avoidable and both parties were at fault for exacerbating an already tense atmosphere following the coups and pogroms of 1966; yes those things happened and should not be denied. Nigeria has failed every tribe within her boundary and beyond; blaming one another for our “royal rumble” is counterproductive.

I have already written before on how and why Biafra is a myth and will not happen. Igbos in Kaduna, Langtang, Ekiti, Gombe, Akwanga and across international borders and oceans were not forcefully taken to these places with hands and feet shackled. Many of these individuals are technically not Biafrans but Nigerians, Canadians, Europeans or Asians.  The others patrolling Nigerian embassies across the globe have opted to dwell in the past taking their children along with them.

Scotland had very legitimate reasons to pull out of Great Britain and the move definitely moved Prime Minister Cameron to deliver an emotional address to encourage Scotland to remain in the union. There was a referendum late last year and the move to pull out was defeated. Scots are spread across the Great Britain and Europe but those who were allowed to vote were only those citizens resident in Scotland. There was no room for those outside to sway the votes since they were already established where they were. A successful breakout from the union would have meant that Scotland had to start afresh and their kin losing access to the privileges they had in common with the remainder GB states. It would have been very rough economically and the people chose common sense instead of allowing those killed in conflicts with England centuries before to determine their fate.

I have told the story before of a Biafran war veteran turned university lecturer whom I met on a short bumpy flight from Jos to Kaduna in July. We discussed throughout the journey and he told me of the many young and brilliant men like himself at the start of that war lost before their prime. He told me of his lost and unpublished memoirs which he compiled when he was at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He had wanted to write an account of the civil war from the perspective of a non-officer which would have been indeed different from the valor and grandeur delivered in the published records of other principal actors and Biafran officers. His parting shot to me was that those agitating for violence now have no clue about what kind of volcano they are playing with. He definitely did not endorse any such rancor but it did not mean that he did not wish for complete liberation for his people. He did not fail to mention to me that his best friend was a Yoruba man.

I must commend every life-loving and sane individual who has condemned the threats and insults from Kanu and his acolytes (those who endorse Kanu cut across tribes). Those who are bloodthirsty must be cautioned by their leaders and parents. Enyimba of Aba played a game against Warri Wolves at the Aba township stadium over the weekend. That game was watched by a capacity crowd; this tells me that the people of that region do in fact care about the simple things of life. Such things are what should be promoted as well as good governance; providing the essentials of life for all and sundry. The incumbent government should not be seen as the enemy but should be given sufficient time to chart a course for the nation’s restoration while the citizenry advise and monitor the leaders to fully carry out their service to the people.

Biafra was meant to be a breakaway of the Old Eastern region in 1967; that arrangement collapsed as early as 1968 and what was left defended Uli until Philip Efiong announced that Biafra ceased to exist in January 1970. Some present day South-South indigenes are fighting for a separate nation which they call Lower Niger; the confusion which opportunists are causing in Nigeria will only be settled if every tribe put their hands to the pump. The religious leaders in the Southeast need to also help in correcting the obviously detrimental gospel of supremacy being dished out in that part of the country.