Following Friday's unscheduled visit by Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan, to the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos, fears are rampant among the senior rank of the force that a certain good number of them may be thrown into the labour market soon.
The news broke like wildfire, and everyone ran for cover. But one man who could not run - and that was because he was the one saddled with the uncomfortable task of giving the president a tour of facilities in the College - was the Commandant of the College, Irimiya Yerima.
Friday's surprise visit took everyone by. . . well, SURPRISE, including those at the wedding reception being held right there at the college. Bet the last person they expected to see was the president.
I'd have loved to see the Commandant's face as he tries to explain how the College came to be rented out to the public for ceremonies like weddings, burials, local union meetings and the likes. And if you think the proceeds from these rentals are recorded or used for the maintenance of the college, then you need to either have your head examined. . . or pay a visit to the college itself.
The president's visit came on the heels of a Channel's Television documentary detailing the unimaginable rot in the College. The big man saw the documentary, rubbed his eyes for an interminable number of times, couldn't believe what he was seeing and just had to see for himself.
Now the big guy's angry.
A Presidency official, who spoke to a Punch correspondent in confidence, on Sunday, said, "The picture being painted is that of total neglect of the police training colleges, including the one in Ikeja.
"But the fact is that some money was budgeted for those colleges. How has the money been spent? There will be a probe and anybody found wanting will be sacked."
Guess this means we're going to have to say arivaderci to 80% of the police senior officials.
*Sigh*!!!
Already, sources said top officials at the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Police Service Commission, and the office of the Inspector-General of Police have been put under scrutiny over the condition of the PCI.
Jonathan, who could not hide his anger during the visit to the PCI en route Cote d’Ivoire for the ECOWAS Summit on Mali, said that the rot, being televised as a documentary on a Lagos-based privately-owned Channels Television, was meant to tarnish the image of his administration.
"This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of this government. The Police College, Ikeja, is not the only training institution in Nigeria," he had said.
His questions on who got Channels to film the depreciation in facilities caused by years of sustained decay were not answered by the embattled commandant of the college.
Our president should leave Channels Television alone and focus on the College (Great piece of investigative reporting, by the way).
Like the proceeds from the rentals, monies realized from billboards, including spectacular boards that are rented by advertising agencies, are not accounted for.
An officer, who declined to give his name because of the sensitivity of the scandal, said, “Look, for many years outdoor advertising agencies have always erected their spectacular billboards in our premises."
Unfortunately these are things that we know. . . Now the President knows them too.
We can imagine the extent of meetings, bribery and lobbying happening now within the hierarchy of the Police Force on this matter.
Grown men in uniforms are shaking in their boots and pissing in their pants right now. . .
. . . Others have begun measuring the density of their heads just to see how far they will roll.
Jonathan shouldn't really be surprised and angry.
The Police College, Ikeja, Lagos is a microcosm of the nation he supposedly leads.
A usual, we watch. . . and wait.
Info Source: www.punchng.com
Photo Credit: Sahara Reporters
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