By Augustine Ehikioya
With the posting of Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Muazu Ismail, to Omu-Aran a few months back as Area Commander in charge of Omu-Aran Area Command, with the Headquarters in Omu-Aran community in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, the community and its environs has never remained the same again.
Things have kept on moving forward and improving since ACP Muazu stepped his foot on the soil of Omu-Aran community.
These were the views of His Royal Majesty, Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba AbdulRaheem Oladele Adeoti Agboluaje, Olomu Efon II, when he spoke exclusively with Security Watch Africa (SWA) crew in Omu-Aran led by its President / CEO, Mr. Patrick Agbambu.
He said, “Some few months back, say about five, six months ago, Alhaji Muazu, the Assistant Commissioner of Police was posted to this Omu-Aran as Area Commander in charge of Irepodun Local Government.
“It was the day he assumed duty in Omu-Aran that he came to me in the Palace. He did not wait for a second. In fact, he saw me before he went back to his office, and he pledged his loyalty. He pledged to serve meritoriously as a Police Officer. The second day, he came with the DPO and some of the officers of the Area Command of Omu-Aran.
“I also paid a visit, and since the Command office has been there for long, he was not too pleased because of the condition of the office. When you say an enabling environment to work, the structure of which we enter to work also provides an enabling environment for someone to work.
“He took it upon himself, and he started interacting with the people in my community. In fact, the magic he employed to see those that assisted him is best known to him because I swear I did not mention a single name to him. And I think this is where his own personal quality comes in as a Police Officer.”
The Royal Father went on “If truly, Police function is to maintain peace and to be seen as a friend of the people, I think Alhaji Muazu is a good example of a Police that can parade himself as a friend of the people.
“Just as I stated, he started collating the numbers of those that can assist him without anybody’s knowledge. If he has not provided the enabling environment for himself, maybe in talking, maybe be in actions, maybe in form of Police assistance to those people, it might not have been easy as for him the way he went about doing it and the way he eventually succeeded.”
He pointed out that ACP Muazu did excellently well in developing the infrastructure he met on the ground on the assumption of duties.
“He started with the patching of some of the cracked walls, especially where you have the pressure. He started painting, furnishing, and what have you. So this he did, and we were all looking. After the thorough renovation of the structures, he went ahead to illuminate the Area Command Office against external attack or aggression.
By the grace of God, if you go to the Area Command office today, and particularly when it is night, because he installed a solar power light, if you go there by 8pm, 9 pm, then one will be able to appreciate what I’m saying.
“I see him as somebody that is fully objective in reasoning, in talking, and in working. You see, it’s objective people that will accomplish their goals. Just give them a place to work, I won’t say, an enabling place.
“He turned the the fortune around of the Area Command. And today, if you see it, you will know that, yes, this is a befitting Area Command office at the local government headquarters level.
“I think I can claim to know on the average, Nigeria. I read in the North, I’m from South West or Middle Belt, then I served in the South-South. So I can roughly say what are obtainable in other places.
“So we only need to appreciate him, to appreciate his service in the community. If I call him, he won’t hesitate. Within the close of an eye, Muazu is already with you, and I think that is how to integrate.
“If you want to assist a community, you have to integrate yourself to that community. He integrated himself into the community. He’s not the type that holds some sentiment. I think he is a Kanuri man or Hausa man. I learned he’s from Borno State. I don’t know where in Borno, but the major dialect group in Borno is Kanuri, so I assume he’s a kanuri man.
“He’s working as a true Nigeria. The way we were taught that we should work, that we should shun sentiment wherever we find ourselves. I think he’s been able to shun sentiment, and he’s finding it good with us.” the Royal Father stated.
When asked to score the Nigeria Police Force, he said, “It’s just like when you write an examination, they will score you once you are not below 50%. But with Nigeria Police Force, you have to, first of all, think of what are the tools and apparatus made available for the Police to work.
“Before you start assessing their performance, what are the things made available for an officer to work. As a Police Force, what are those things, the gadgets that you must use before you can perform and hit the target.
“It’s unfortunate, everybody knows Nigeria today that the number one problem we are facing in Nigeria is the issue of security. You see, I don’t know how we can say it, if with Nigeria’s age, when I say Nigeria’s age from Independence to date, we can’t know specifically where a kidnapper is hiding, and so many other factors surrounded this inefficiency.
“You see, the reflection of government is the reflection of the people. Go to all the sectors of the economy, there is no one that is doing very well.
“But we have been told, and we have been taught that we should continue to pray, that one day things will go better in Nigeria. Development is a process. You have to start from somewhere.
“We are not stepping back. Even if you are taking a step twice before we move the second one, we are still moving. But how personally I would have wished or loved it is a bit faster, because in those days, we heard of being the first nation, second, third.
“We are still within the developing bracket. Some of the nations that were in the third world those days have moved. So I pray that it wouldn’t be long again for us in Nigeria so that we can move to join the team of developed nations. Our approach, individual’s character, is not helping the situation.
“We are not helping the government. We should not expect everything from the government. But the government should provide the little and try us if we will change or not. But by the grace of God, Nigeria is going to be good.” he said.