Nigeria Police Force Official Website

AN ADDRESS PRESENTED BY SIR (DR) MIKE MBAMA OKIRO, CFR, NPM, mni,

INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE ON THE PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF MY BOOK “POLICING NIGERIA IN A DEMOCRACY” HOLDING TODAY THURSDAY, 25^TH JUNE, 2009 AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE ABUJA

“The purpose of history is to put on record the astonishing achievements of our own and other people so that the great deeds of men may not be forgotten”

                   Great Herodotus Halicarnassus

Protocol

It is with great sense of fulfilment and honour that I welcome you all to this very significant event, the public presentation of my latest book “Policing Nigeria in a Democracy” taking place today Thursday, 25^th June, 2009 here at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.  I feel quite fulfilled not because book presentation is an unusual event in this part of the world but rather being able to accomplish this modest, scholarly and thoughtful book in the midst of exacting and crowded professional activities and demand of my office.  I feel passionate about the book because it has marked a happy climax of what initially appeared like a tall dream, because it has satisfied the impulse of my curiosity to leave behind me a legacy that will serve as a travelling direction for generation of Police officers yet unborn, a legacy that will provoke thought, a legacy that will raise the level of the debate.  As  I stand on this historic parapet of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, today, to perform this intellectual ritual of public presentation of my latest work, “Policing Nigeria in a Democracy”, history beckons on all of us to reflect on how best to make our own democracy work using conventional best practices.

2.       The question now arises, how do we Police a society deep rooted in traditional solidarity, undergoing social change?  This question has become inevitable because in recent time, in western style democracies all over the world, there is this general feeling that Police power is not only threatened interference with freedom but is even incompatible with it.  Thus, one can safely say that at the moment, Policing western style democracies appears to be experiencing a crisis phase.  At every turn, Police actions are constantly being questioned.

3.       In Nigeria today, evidence abound of investigations by tribunals of inquiry and panels probing/investigating the conduct of some major Police operations.  At the same time, evidence of social unrest, crises and disturbances continue unabated.  Fears of tensions stimulate reactions and sentiments which fore-shadow, backlash, causing further public disorder and even crimes among the citizens.  Progress by protest brings ideology and violence to major streets of our turbulent States across the nation. Trade disputes cast their shadows of social conflict, which sometimes spill over to crimes of assault, offences against liberty and public order.

4.       Distinguished guests, today is not a day for long speeches, my role here this morning is not that of a book reviewer but rather, to act like a gadfly, to provoke thought, to share and reflect with you some salient issues that shaped my thoughts on this book.  The book, “Policing Nigeria in a Democracy” represents a conscious attempt to x-ray and highlight the statutory roles of the Nigeria Police in the emerging democratic dispensation.  It is a chronicle of Nigeria Police transition from the Colonial hegemony, through the military and now under democratic dispensation. It has been an odyssey that has been punctuated with thorns, tempest, pains and frustrations.

5.       It was against this backdrop that I was constrained to document this transition of the Force to enable Nigerians and generation of young officers know where we started, various setbacks along our transition path and indeed where we are today.

6.       It should be noted that Policing under Democracy requires strict adherence to Human Rights, Rule of Law and Accountability.  Accountability in terms of whether our actions and inactions conform with the dictates of the law.  Accountability in terms of subjecting ourselves to the basic rule of being servants to the people rather than arrogating ourselves the position of the boss.

7.       In the theory of hierarchy of human needs, Abraham Maslow identified security as one of the basic needs of human beings.  Just as human beings need security, the society also needs security to survive, otherwise, the society will become a Hobbesian State of nature whereby life will become solitary, nasty, short and brutish.   Since the need for security is one of the basic needs of human society, it then naturally follows that no socio-economic development will take place without internal security, law and order.

8.       Interestingly, the role of the Police in National Development is clearly spelt out in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  Section 14(b) of the Constitution states inter alia; “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.  To achieve the above objectives, the constitution specifically made provision   for the creation of the Police Force.  Section 214 (1) of the 1999 constitution states that “There shall be a Police Force for Nigeria which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force and subject to the provision of this section, no other Police Force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof”.  In furtherance to this, section 4 of the Police Act, Cap 359, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 spelt out the functions of the Police as:

     i.        The prevention and detection of crime;

    ii.        The apprehension of offenders;

   iii.        The preservation of law and order;

   iv.        The protection of life and property;

    v.        Due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are charged;

   vi.        Perform such military duties within or without Nigeria as may be required of them by or under the authority of this or any other Act.

9.       The above constitutional provision correlates with the ten objectives of Democratic Policing propounded by Lord Anderson in his book “Policing Freedom”.  According to him, Police exist in every human society to:

     i.        Contribute towards liberty, equality and fraternity in human affairs;

    ii.        Help reconcile freedom with security and uphold the rule of law;

   iii.        Facilitate human dignity through upholding and protecting human rights and the pursuit of happiness;

   iv.        Provide leadership and participation in dispelling criminogenic social conditions through cooperative social actions;

    v.        Contribute towards the creation or reinforcement of trust in communities;

   vi.        Strengthen the security of persons;

 vii.        Investigate, detect and activate prosecution of offence within the rule of law;

viii.        Facilitate free passage and movement on highways and roads, on streets and avenues open to public passage;

   ix.        Curb public disorder;

    x.        Deal with major and minor crises and help advise those in distress, where necessary, activating other agencies.

10.     Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I want to state here without fear of contradiction that the security of every nation is the sole responsibility of the government of the day, the constitutional role of the Police in national development is to assist the government in earning the confidence of its citizens through the provision of security of life and property of its citizens.

11.     It must be noted that no matter how well written laws are, no matter how well intentioned we may be, the fact is we are still human.  It is a fact of human life that power tends to corrupt.  That is part of the human condition. There is a natural human tendency to rationalise mistakes and cover up failure.  When that tendency is combined with a concentration of power, you have a lethal concoction. Competition is one way to keep power in check.  This is why democracy is the thing all over the world today.  This is the reason democratic policing has become inevitable for us today in Nigeria because if we don’t weigh our today’s action in terms of tomorrow’s consequences, our collective quest to bequeath to our fatherland, a Police Force that is public friendly, responsible, efficient and professional will remain a mirage.

12.     Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I want to welcome you once again for finding time to honour my invitation.  Finally, I want to end this address by recalling the immortal words of Ali Bhutto when he said “my time shall pass, your time shall pass but the record of our work shall never pass”.

13.  I wish to seize this singular opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Senate President, His Excellency, Senator David Mark, GCON, for his immense contribution and support towards the making of this history.  The same goes to His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCON, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  My special thanks will also go to Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  I need to thank him for so many things in my life, but most especially for permitting me to be absent from today’s Council of States meeting where issues of National importance will be discussed and my input is of paramount importance.  Without his humane and fatherly disposition I will not be standing before you now.  My gratitude will also go to all of you for finding time and space to be here.  May the Almighty God Bless you.

14.  Finally, and more important of all I thank God for making this day possible.