I read today that the acting Inspector General of Police, M. D. Abubakar, is advocating a wage increase for Nigerian policemen. In my opinion, this is a good move.
Nigeria needs to restore dignity to the profession of policing. Educated young men and women considering a career in the Police Force need to be assured of a respectable quality of life. They need to know that they will be able to afford decent housing, a respectable school for their kids, and an overall good quality of life.
However, more stringent entry requirements should accompany such a wage increase. The present case where many people become policemen (at the rank-and-file level) only after failing at every thing else needs to stop. We need to start demanding higher education levels (an OND might be fine, but definitely not SSCE), better communication skills (orally and in writing), and so on...
Also, on the point of the highway checkpoints - the IG seems to mean business... Every chance he gets, he reiterates that the checkpoints are not coming back, and I also think that a good move - with a balance however. He needs to establish a working highway patrol mechanism...
My thoughts... :)
No comments:
Post a Comment