*Leaders should be sincere in their dealings
The reason why a country is where it is today, is because of the contributions of their leaders in the past or present and Nigeria is not an exception. When we talk about leaders, people always put the blame on the president, yes, when things go wrong, the head takes the blame but what about us at different levels. If we do what is right at our levels, the president will have little work to do but because we failed in our responsibilities, that is why we are shifting the blame to the leaders. All good, wicked or bad leaders are born and breed by parents
If as a parent, you train your child or children well, will there be criminals? The answer is No! In fact, most of the blame should go to the parents. Many of them have failed in their responsibilities especially the parents of this generation who will not want to correct their children because they don’t want to offend them hence they become hardened at teen age and wild at adulthood; and in the process, they influence other innocent ones.
If everybody at various levels handle their responsibilities well, we won’t be crying over crime. If some bad eggs in the Police refuse to connive with criminals, if a Custom officer refuses to allow the proliferation of arms and ammunition, if an Immigration officer refuses to allow illegal immigrants to come and kill innocent people, if the person that is supposed to use money given to him to create jobs and others do his or her parts, crime will be a thing of the past.
Until we have people who have the fear of God in authority, Nigeria will continue to experience stagnation.
Have you asked yourself how arms and ammunition get into the country? If the people doing them don’t stop these acts, they might be the victims at old age. If the criminals they empower don’t come after them, they might go after their children and grandchildren. The Holy Book says, “Whatever you sow is what you will reap.” It might not be now but it will definitely come to pass. It is also said in the local parlance that, “Whatever you do today, good or bad, awaits you tomorrow, you or your children will definitely reap it.”
Until we have sincere leaders, we might continue to experience crimes and wickedness. Imagine a country like Cote d’Ivoire rejected the Importation of solar panels, inverters and batteries into their country.
If they had allowed the Importation, their constant electricity would have been tampered with by now and people will be forced to patronize those products. Electricity is a mirage in Nigeria because of the continuous importation of generators, solar panels, inverters and others. (Watch out for why electricity is a mirage in Nigeria).
* Street lights and CCTV
One of the easiest ways to curb crimes is the installation of street lights and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV). Most crimes take place mostly in the dark or at night except the ones that are planned with criminals alongside with government security apparatus.
During a research recently especially in neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, we discovered that they have very low crime rate because of the presence of street lights in almost all parts of their countries especially the city centres and because of that, it is very easy for their police to taunt the activities of criminals.
We also discovered that they have CCTV in place hence they can easily monitor the activities of criminals on the screen and mobilise their men on the street to storm the scene. They can monitor the movement of the criminals trying to escape. Also because of the installation of CCTV, criminals find it difficult to operate likewise motorists hardly drive recklessly let alone disobey traffic lights or make calls while driving.
* Use of sirens
Also, during our investigation, we discovered that sirens are mainly used by ambulances, even police don’t make use of them except in emergency situations.
The people that are also permitted to use the siren are probably the President and his vice. Their Federal Executive Council members like the ministers and others don’t use it. In Nigeria, sirens are being abused. Even commercial bus drivers use sirens at night, maybe to chase highway robbers off the road in a suspected area. Local government chairmen intimidate people in their territories let alone governors. I have come across a governor using 24 vehicles in a convoy with two siren vehicles excluding an ambulance, just to prove that the one in charge is passing.
However, if everybody is allowed to use sirens, criminals might capitalize on it and might use it to deceive the police at checkpoints when trying to escape. We have also had cases where ambulances are being used to convey food to parties in Lagos because of traffic gridlock, hence abusing the privilege of the use of sirens. Police should as a matter of urgency restrict the use of sirens to themselves and ambulances and be on a watch out for criminals especially those driving ambulances.
* Toll gates or checkpoints
Another way to curb crimes is the use of either toll gates or checkpoints. Toll gates no longer exist in the country but checkpoints are visible. The challenge is that some bad eggs are using them to extort money from motorists.
One of our discoveries recently outside the country is that their men also collect bribes on the road but the difference is that they don’t compromise when doing their work. They carry out their work judiciously. So those on the roads, should as a matter of fact check vehicles properly, you never can tell if the person you are allowing to pass might use those weapons to kill your relatives.
* Police should do their jobs
A friend once said, “If our police want to work, they will do a good job.” He made this statement when a vehicle was stolen in Wuse, a town in Abuja, the federal capital territory, FCT, and within 20 minutes, the vehicle was recovered and criminals apprehended.
Another scenario was a case where some policemen intercepted some criminals who stole a vehicle in Isua Akoko in Ondo state. The same police unit arrested some criminals with arms and ammunition in their vehicles. Some policemen are very good at their jobs, if only others can emulate them.
Familiarisation
One of the challenges faced by the police is too much familiarisation with people. This is one thing the military does not tolerate because they know if they do, people will start taking them for granted. It is understandable that police are trying to be friends with the citizens but it is affecting their jobs. There is nothing wrong with familiarisation but they must not allow it to affect their jobs.
* “Do you know who I am factor” and usage of stickers or signages
One of the things causing serious challenges to security in this country is the issue of “Do you know who I am factor?” Nobody should be allowed to use that as excuse, even if the person is a top-ranking citizen, he should be made to face the law no matter how small, even if it traffic-related except such persons are higher than the law.
We also discovered that many people are using different signages or stickers like the police, military, lawyers, media and other organizations. Some people are using them to perpetrate crimes. In the countries visited, there is nothing like that, you commit crime, you face the law no matter how highly placed you are.
* Court should assist police
In Cote d’Ivoire, the court made the police job very easy. They don’t adjourn cases anyhow for months or years. Some lawyers are capitalizing on it in Nigeria. It is either you are guilty or not, you are either sent to prison or set free and because of this, the citizens of Cote d’Ivoire don’t indulge in crime. They don’t fight let alone indulge in robbery and other high-risk crimes. Most times, when there is misunderstanding, it only ends in a quarrel except you are ready to spend your weekend in cell and remaining days in prison. If such an approach is adopted here, and there are no manipulation with prison officers, of course the crime rate will definitely drop.
* Recruitment Process
The recruitment process of the security personnel especially police should be taken serious. A situation whereby man-know-man is what is used or people paying ransom to get recruited should be jettisoned. I remembered in the year 2000, I wrote a police recruitment exam and I was the first to finish, the invigilator told me that, “Even if I get 105%, I won’t be chosen except I pay N50,000 then.” I sworn that I will rather prefer not to be recruited than pay money for what I am more than qualified for.
I met a man during the recruitment exam who couldn’t write his name and we have many of them wearing uniforms today. We have so many people who joined because they couldn’t get job elsewhere, while some paid their ways hence they are extorting motorists and others to recover their money. We have so many of them who are not qualified to be messengers in the police let handling arms and ammunition and confronting citizens. Don’t the police and other security authorities feel bad and embarrassed with the kinds of people working under them and need to quickly look into flushing out the bad eggs?
Until we have sincere and passionate people like we used to have in the past and like what is obtainable in other countries, it will continue to be crime, here we come. Today, many of them are either working for themselves and earning salaries from government or are conniving with criminals to get rich but that is not to say, we don’t have good policemen and women.
Talking from experience and recent research shows that we have more better, intelligent, passionate and hardworking policemen and women but they are being deployed in wrong places hence the country is not enjoying them. Many of them are being used as maids for so-called wealthy business moguls and politicians why others are thrown to the streets.
* Police should be well-paid
No matter how sincere a man is, if he is not well-paid, he will indulge in illicit activities to survive. From investigation, Nigeria Police remains one of the best in the world not because I am a Nigerian but if you consider under the condition they are working, many people in other countries would have abandoned the job. The salaries we are paying police is too meagre and cannot take care of them and their family members let alone save for retirement. Many of them become miserable after retirement because they couldn’t save and their entitlements and pensions are nothing to write home about hence the high level of extortion all across the country today.
We cannot be paying politicians especially those at the national assembly, some illiterate, massive salaries while those who are taking risk for us are paid peanuts, it is wickedness. The Police and other security personnel are always the targets of criminals hence they need to be taken good care of. If fact, if they can’t earn same as politicians, they should at least be given half of their bulky allowances. I understand those at the national assembly and other public servants have wardrobe allowances while today, our police buy uniforms and shoes by themselves hence the different color and types of shoes seen everywhere.
The fact remains that if we don’t correct things now especially the proliferation of arms and ammunition in this country, crime rates will continue to soar and if we don’t become victims today, what about our children and generation after them? Now that we have the opportunity to change things, why not do it before it is too late? A stitch in time saves nine!
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