Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
The Bill seeks to boost the funding of the NIgerian Police through the
collection of an annual Police Tax. The Bill seeks to impose a 2% tax on
the profits of all registered companies in Nigeria. Like the Education
Tax Fund which was established to halt an alarming decline in the
education sector, tax assessed and collected by the Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) would be administered bad disbursed by the
fund for the benefit of the Police.
What comes to that come to mind when we say the word "Police"?
These are sort of comments one hears:
* They are bribe-takers, who harass motorists for change in the
streets.
* The organisation is synonymous with corruption.
* They are time wasters, who are not trained
* They are ill-equipped to tackle crime.
* They are a nuisance and burden to society
* And basically, they only care for themselves.
Bearing all these expectations in mind, what should the role of the
Police be?
*Section 4 of the Police Act (CAP P14 LFN) 2004 provides five broad
functions for the Nigerian Police Force, namely:-
1. Crime Prevention
2. Detection and Apprehension of offenders
3. Preservation of law and order
4. Enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly
charged. These include laws and regulations made by federal, state
and local governments and lastly
5. Performance of such military duties within or outside Nigeria as may
be required of them by, or under the authority of this or any other Act.
FACT: The general public believe that Government and its officials pay
lip service to security issues because they already have 150,000
policemen and women to protect a maximum of 2,000,000 people?
FACT: In most countries, the Police accounts for 25% of the national
3
budget.
1981 - 4%
1982- No figures available
1983- 10.7%
1984 - 3.9%
1985- 3.5%
1986- 3.6%
1987-2.2%
1988- 2.4%
1989- 2.5%
1990- 3.1%
1991-4.5%
1992- 4.2%
1993-3.2%
1994-5.1%
1995-6.5%
1996-5.6%
1997-4.9%
1998-6.8%
1999-7.6%
2001-3.4%
2002- 3.3%
2003-4.03%
2004-3.6%
2005-5.3%
2006-4.5%
2007-7.7%
FACT: Our Nigerian Police Constable only last year had his salary
increased from N8,000 to N26,000 though it only became effective in
March 2008 under this new Government.
FACT: Falomo Barracks has been turned into a slum. Come night-time,
the kitchens and corridors are turned into make-shift bedrooms.
FACT: Some of these barracks are in such a state of sheer filth that
they should be demolished immediately in order to sanitize the
environment they are located in.
However, these hard facts do not address the human cost. The Police
5
have some of the most dysfunctional families among occupational
groups in the country. The poor salary and welfare package given to
officers has undermined their social status, morale and self-esteem. A
lack of post-retirement opportunities has also prevented the police
from competing effectively in the labour market for the best and
brightest that a nation can offer. One of the major problems faced is
the societal welfare programmes in the areas of housing, car loans,
pensions and health insurance. The need for Police participation in
these wider national programmes is imperative.
But how did this happen? How did we get to this point?
The collapse of this vital instrument of internal security is commonly
attributed to corruption. Such a submission trivalises the scale of the
problem. This rot can be traced by successive military administrations.
The military, fearing that the Police was the only sector within society
who could have successfully resisted them, deliberately desecrated the
Police. They intentionally under-funded them whilst spending lavishly
on the other Armed Forces. They applied the principle of "divide-and-
rule", thereby subdividing the Police Force by carving out various
agencies that we all know ought to come under the Police. Thus
duplicating the functions of the Police, resulting in diminished
funding, as resources hitherto meant for Police had to be diverted to
fund these new institutions. This had created conflict and confusion in
the public safety and security arena with these agencies often working
at cross-purposes.
The four main problems with the Nigeria Police Force have been
identified as:
1. Funding;
2. Quality of personnel flowing from methods of recruitment;
3. Training and training institutions;
4. Public safety and public security management which is a function of:
a) Well- trained and motivated personnel
b) Communication and information
c) Mobility
I, therefore, urge you all to give this Bill your full support and move
that it be read a second time,
Thank You