By Augustine Ehikioya
A Security Consultant and President of Security Watch Africa Initiatives (SSWAI, Mr. Patrick Agbambu, has said that the year in and year out declarations by subsequent governments in Nigeria to improve the welfare and equipment of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is more or less paying lip service to the needs.
He spoke in Abuja during a live TVC Breakfast programme.
Mr. Agbambu was speaking at the backdrop of the recent declaration by the Tinubu Administration to improve the welfare and equipment of the Police Force.
Stressing that making such promises from one government to the other over the year was just giving mere hope to the Police, he said these have served as discouragement to them.
Hope delayed, he said, could be hope denied.
Agbambu said “I can tell you that the personnel of the Police do not believe all the promises the government is making until they see action.
“I think there is need for us to go beyond rhetorics to put foot on the ground and fulfil some of these promises.” he added.
The Security Consultant also agreed that the use of technology will go a long way to help in solving the security challenges facing the nation.
But he warned that the technologies depend on human inputs and may not be effectively deployed when the personnel are hungry and not taking good care of.
“That’s where the call for Police adoption of technology is questionable. First of all, let’s take care of the men that will handle the technology before you can talk of technology.
“But again, when you talk of technology, what are the infrastructure on ground to support these technologies.
“You need steady energy to operate some of these things. You need proper surveillance and mapping of our crime sectors to be able to find out where and where you are going to deploy these technologies we always talk about.
“We desire so much and yet little is been done. So, like I said earlier, we need to go away from so much talking and go into putting all these things into action.” he stated.
Apart from paying staff salaries, Mr. Agbambu noted that taking care of the basic needs of security personnel including medicals, kitting them, providing essential equipment to work, constitute welfare for the staff.
He also explained that a corrupt mind will always be a corrupt mind irrespective of how much salary and improved welfare is given out
The Security Consultant advocated for change of mindset to boost Police personnel’ psychological wellbeing in order to stamp out corruption in the force.
Carrying out proper psychological audit of personnel of security agencies, he said, will help to weed out the corrupt minds that take the job of security as business and avenue to make illegal incomes.
According to him, the staff must first develop passion for the job and not just taking up security jobs as mere employment opportunities.
He said this is the only way they can excel in their careers in any of the security agencies.
While scoring some States (Lagos, Borno and Rivers) highpoints for their contributions and support to security agencies, he said, survival of most Police officers is made possible by the State governments in their domains, even though the Federal Government is the one paying salaries.
He noted that a sad ongoing trend is the Federal Government leaving the funding of Police to the State governments.
Mr. Agbambu also called on the Police Force to own their training programmes and training manuals rather than depending on other parties that will tend to use the largees to manipulate them.
He said that this should not stop goodwill and support from coming in from individuals and organisations, but it shouldn’t be the basic of Police support.
According to him, it should be a support to what the government is doing.
“I just wished that as the government has made the promise, it will put it in action by providing the basic needs for them and improve on the infrastructure of the Police, so that they can give Nigerians the best service they deserve.” he stated.
Despite ongoing clamour, the Security Consultant however declared that Nigeria is still not ripe for State Police
Agbambu pointed out that there would be many negative impact of having State Police in the country presently.
He also kicked against the present envelope budgeting for the Nigeria Police Force.
