Christopher Odamah
The former Delta State Commissioner for Education has called for the need to clean up the Nigerian Police force.
A welcome address delivered by Dr. (Mrs.) Veronica .E. Ogbuagu (JP), the Proprietress of Chinkelly Schools, Ekpan-Effurun, Delta State on the celebration of Nigeria 56 Independence Day Anniversary held at the weekend in Bishop Fitzgbbon’s Hall of Chinkelly Schools, Ekpan, Delta State.
Dr. Ogbuagu said the reason why we have a rise in criminality is that most of our police men are corrupt. There is no doubt; we have a highly corrupt police force. The police force need to be re-constituted.
In her words, the new cleaned police force would have to be trained. Review their curriculum, and give them disproportionate resources and authority. The goal is to make crime unprofitable.
She said that the reformers must form task force to deal with the various units in the police force in order to create a secret elite unit of the police force that would clean up the system, they would report only to the top administrative political leader who has the reform agenda.
According to her, “The new police force must first and foremost respect and honour the community; they must strive to build bridges of trust. The new police must be a guardian police not a criminal police.”
“The culture of responsibility must replace the culture of impunity. If you commit a crime, you must be punished. With all due respect, I wish to say that Gen. Ibrahim Babangida is the author of the culture of impunity in Nigeria. When criminals became Governors, House of Assembly members, Local Government Chairmen etc, it gave birth to a culture of impunity. Our culture is not based on criminality,” she said.
Dr. Ogbuagu said most politicians with their ill-gotten wealth rush to get titles from their traditional rulers as well as from our institutions of higher learning. They do fake charitable work. Traditional rulers must not give dishonourable men and women titles. Our universities must both honour them with doctorate degrees. We must deny them social recognition. We must not give honour to dishonourable people.
Dr. Ogbuagu calls for a new Nigeria where we look into the future with optimism; let us believe a new Nigeria is possible if we trust God with whom all things are possible, the new Nigeria which is our dream will be realized. A Nigeria where policemen will be seen patrolling or policing the communities, instead of guarding politicians and extorting money from motorists on our highways A Nigeria where free and fair elections thrive, a Nigeria where leaders will be elected and not selected, a Nigeria where human rights are not violated.
She also added that a new Nigeria is where laws are respected and kept. A Nigeria where pensioners are rewarded for the services they rendered. A Nigeria where we would celebrate 15 years of un-interrupted power supply; a new Nigeria where Nigerians are fully patriotic, a Nigeria where life and properties are secured, a Nigeria where social amenities such as good roads, hospitals, schools, electricity, water etc are give due consideration.
Dr. Veronica Ogbuagu (JP) said we have the power to change things ourselves by looking up to God for His grace. We should pray for our nation, we should pray for our leaders, we should be patriotic and we should live together as a unified nation. We need God’s grace to survive by turning to God in fasting and prayer, in sincerity of heart and in truth to ourselves without deceit because this is the only way by which peace and prosperity can reign again in Nigeria.
