#EndSARS: Nigeria And Incompetent Leaders By Sanusi Muhammad

“I have vowed to change the inherited narratives for a better society than I met. It is therefore, our collective responsibility to create windows for economic growth and self sufficiency against poverty, malnutrition and a secured environment.

I have already created the template for a better Bauchi state in my journey so far” – Gov. Bala Mohammed.
From the above quoted statement of Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State, one cannot with a wave of hand condemn all leaders going by the weight of the statement and those of his delivered services that are visible within Bauchi State. But the glaring case of rising poverty all over Nigeria is alarming and forms part of the escalation of security challenges threatening the peace of the country that seems to have defied applicable solutions and brought to the front burner the ongoing violent protests against the excesses of the dreaded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police, cases of forceful extortion by the Nigeria police personnel and cases of extra-judicial killings on the streets, at police stations through torture and even at residences of unfortunate victims of police murder.
This reminds me of the case of a Divisional Police Officer in Bauchi some few weeks ago who took pride in murdering two common thieves brought to the station for stealing three chickens even after their parents pleaded for leniency and paid the cost of the chickens that were retrieved alive. The wicked soul in uniform was not done until he gruesomely murdered two of the thieves and disfigured the third one before he was done. The case was publicized for expected action against the blood thirsty cop by the Nigeria Police. Till this moment, nothing is heard about the case. The murderer must have been transferred out of Bauchi by his colleagues to save his soul.
As the government has promised reforming the Nigeria Police, first, let there be discreet investigation on the number of innocent souls murdered by the Nigeria police under different fictitious claims such as exchange of fire, attempt to run from custody etc. In Plateau State alone, there may be over 100-200 innocent souls wasted by the Nigeria police right at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) most especially during the tenure of one ruthless and heartless Edo-State born Commissioner of Police, Amien Oyakhire.
Nigeria Police personnel derived much pleasure in murdering suspects that failed to buy their freedom. In some cases, wealthy suspects that afforded the bargain fee were exchanged with innocent souls for murder at strategic locations outskirts of town.
FSARS Abuja is the most known notorious Nigeria police unit that specialized in murdering innocent souls who failed to buy their freedom. That office should be investigated thoroughly. It was an extortion and murder centre that bargained for everything including visits to detainees by relatives etc.
The call for the disbandment of SARS which is premised on the numerous cases – some captured on film- of SARS brutality; blatant extortions, unlawful searches, detentions, torture, rape of female suspects, robbery, illegal check and forceful transfer of funds from citizens and murder, is a known recurring phenomenon that started way back in the 90s.
The insistence on total disbandment of that unit and possibly the entire Police force stemmed from the failure of several reform enactments and ’bans’, to bring an end to the menace of SARS and Nigeria Police personnel that has given credence to the argument that the problem lies deeper in the conduct of the entire Nigeria Police from the Inspector-General down to the Private.
The Nigeria Police has one of, if not the worst, track records in public relations of any government agency, whether in security or administration. The history of police illegalities in Nigeria is long, with numerous instances of dark and depraved conduct by its personnel. Widespread amongst these instances of police lawlessness that readily comes to mind is the murder of seven youth in Maiduguri in 2012 without reasonable justification and the extra-judicial murder of Muhammed Yusuf (founder of Boko Haram) in 2009, an act credited as the immediate cause of the escalation of the insurgency we are yet to defeat. The police’ thoughtless killing of Muhammed Yusuf still lives with Nigerians. Several families are displaced and thousands have been killed. In the end, innocent citizens and the military are suffering the consequences of the extra-judicial killing by the police.
As the security challenges continue to multiply, in Nigeria today, even the insane can testify to the fact that there is widespread of evenly distributed cases of poverty and malnutrition, insecurity that cannot be handled professionally by our security apparatus, rising cases of unemployment that is causing civil disturbances and flagrant abuse of the rule of law even by the security and government agencies that are paid to protect and defend the law, while the judicial arm of government is enveloped by the sale of justice to the highest bidder. The Temple of Justice is now a temple of bargain for compromised justice. The judiciary has lost the trust and confidence of the people just like the Nigeria Police.
Remember the celebrated case of the Gombe state born billionaire Federal High Court judge now residing in Bauchi, who shamelessly mortgaged his conscience and ridiculed the legal profession for compromised judgment for a mouth watering amount that caused his unceremonious exit from the esteemed position he abused?
Nigerians through inept and clueless leadership are enmeshed in nutrition crisis as they suffer from want of food and other basics of life artificially created by corruption and stealing of public funds.
Ideally, government should provide a level play ground for every Nigerian to access a legitimate source of livelihood to make ends meet with ease, but that is a far cry from what the ugly situation presents.
According to a released finding by Brookings Institute, 87million Nigerians live presently in extreme poverty, higher than India which has a population seven times larger, and those in leadership still expect loyalty from the malnourished and deprived.
Scarier is that six (6) Nigerians slip into the extreme poverty grinding mill every minute of the day but the leaders are never bothered about this national embarrassment and crisis that trail their nefarious and dubious deeds.
As it is the nature of witches to abhor anything good that profits humanity, Nigerian leaders have deep apathy for productive and transparent leadership founded on inviolable principles of accountability and prudency. They would harden their policies to subject the gullible citizens to perpetual slavery rather than bring succor to their plight by lifting them out of excruciating poverty.
More worrisome is the fact that despite our faltering economy worsened by a weak currency (naira), rapacious greed and unquenchable thirst for luxury while the hapless citizens crave for good life that has since become a mirage.
Truth is, we have traveled the bumpy and thorny road of political leadership and nation building repeatedly, and our psyche has been seriously battered and tortured by our opportunistic leaders that are so greedy, incompetent and insane.
Even when we have shown weakness and lacking courage to interrupt their cruel and injurious actions, they continue to make life unbearable for the people through orchestrated and well planned and plotted divisive and antagonistic policies.
The time has come for Nigerians to demand for justice, fairness and equity from their leaders. The hour has come for Nigerians to demand their tomorrow from those they painfully elected into political offices today.
The hour has come for Nigerians to compel their leaders to look deeply into the constitution of their country and make its salient provisions a compass for good governance.
It must be drummed much louder that the hour has come for all Nigerians with progressive mindset to say No to looting, squandermania and misappropriation of the resources of their country by the vultures in power that are already mad and beclouded with stealing and diversionary tricks of what belongs to all.
The hour has come for Nigerians to take their gauntlet and oppose any obnoxious law targeted at truncating the growth and development of their country that subjects them to economic slavery and squalor.
Above all, the time has come for Nigerians to quit the passenger’s seat and take over the driver’s seat of the wobbling and ill-fated Nigeria’s political vehicle and redirect its course to an eventful journey.
The hour has come for the Nigerian youths to wake up from their slumber and rise to the challenge of governance; take their destiny in their hands by playing active and participatory roles in political affairs and vie for elective political offices for the purpose of re-jigging the political structure and righting many wrongs in our chequered democratic government. They should be more revolutionary than ordinary politicians that channel stolen funds to politics to retain power.
As we consolidate our unity as an indivisible entity, we must realize in time that our unionism must be shielded from the rascality of our emerging political leaders. We must puncture their ploy to hide under the cloak of ethnicity or religion to mortgage our genuine quest for an egalitarian society where every Nigerian will have a friendly atmosphere to pursue dreams to reality.
We must identify the plot usually deployed by our political tormentors to sow seeds of discord amongst us and neutralize their divisive tendencies and antics.
Gov. Bala Said:”As a stakeholder in the Greater Nigeria Project, we must stand as Nigerians against sentiments, ethnicity, religious bigotry, political rascality and communal fraternity, and wisely wheel our support to detribalized Nigerian democrats in 2023 with the right character and zeal to perform, competent, patriotic and visionary to fix our fractured country together and progressively pilot the nascent democracy to greater heights for a better and promising future”.
When one looks at most of the problems bedeviling Nigeria with concern, most especially security related issues, one is forced to accept the fact that corruption is the major cause of insecurity with the Nigeria Police leading in the corruption index.
For instance, the Nigeria Police that is paid to provide security to Nigerians is the most corrupt agency of the government. The Nigeria Police got rotten from top to bottom since the 80s that has gone beyond conventional reformation but qualifies for disbandment and replacement with a more competent entity. The present Nigeria Police Force has outlived its usefulness to majority of Nigerians except to few crooks on the corridors of power and some influential business men whose sources of wealth remain mysterious. Nigeria Police derives more pleasure in providing tight security to foreign nationals at an agreed fee than to citizens. It has now transformed to a NIGERIA POLICE Plc with Louis Edet House, Abuja as its corporate headquarters, it has 36 functional state marketing offices and 774 local government area extortion offices and outposts.
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues