The House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs has criticised President Jonathan’s visit to the Police College Ikeja.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Usman Kumo, described the President’s action as “meaningless.”
Kumo stated that the visit might be counterproductive because Jonathan seemed to suggest that he was not aware of the dilapidated state of police formations and barracks in the country.
Kumo noted that whatever aim Jonathan wanted to achieve with the visit had been defeated, as “he simply displayed that he has not been in touch with what has been happening to the police.”
He added, “Who does not know that all police colleges in Nigeria are in a dilapidated state and uninhabitable?
“Why did he go to Lagos? Was it because a television station aired the poor state of affairs there.
“All police colleges, barracks and formations in Nigeria are dilapidated and uninhabitable.
“What about Gwoza? What about Jos? Are these places better?
“Did he go to Lagos because it is cosmopolitan?
“It is meaningless.”
Asked whether the committee would investigate the decay in the college, Kumo said it would serve no purpose.
According to him, it was public knowledge that the Force was not adequately catered for.
He listed poor funding, welfare and equipment among the major problems of the Force, which had not been addressed for many years.
However, the chairman said his committee would meet with the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, on Wednesday next week to discuss the challenges facing the Force.
Kumo clarified that the meeting was already scheduled before Jonathan’s visit to Ikeja.
“The meeting has nothing to do with the Ikeja visit.
“That is not the aim. It was scheduled already that the IG and members of the committee would meet to discuss on police matters,” he stated.
Similarly, prominent lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, said he was disappointed that the President didn’t seem moved by the level of decay he saw at the police college, but was angry that it was exposed.
He said, “The fact that such an important public institution was allowed to decay to that level shows the kind leadership we have in this country and government’s total lack of consideration for Nigerians. But what was more baffling to me was the President’s reaction. He didn’t express shock at the level of decay but was angry that the failure of his government was exposed.
“He didn’t care that those that are being trained there would come out to be of no use to the country, because they were trained in a decayed and hostile environment. He was only concerned with the image of his government. That to me is a pointer to the character and attitude of those in government and it’s very disturbing.”
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