The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said that while President
Goodluck Jonathan's surprise visit to the Police College in Ikeja last
week, to see the decrepit state of the training institution, is
commendable, the President again dropped the ball by his comments during
the visit.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said instead of using the
occasion to tell Nigerians what his administration will do to uplift the
training institution and many of its likes across the country, the
President chose to berate imaginary enemies who are bent on embarrassing
his administration, and also questioned how Channels managed to film
the rot in the college.
''Mr. President, those comments were totally unnecessary, and they
put a damper on what would have been a great moment for you. A surprise
presidential visit is always a good strategy for leaders to see things
in their real state, without the usual window dressing that heralds
scheduled visits. But it must be properly managed to achieve the maximum
effect. Failure to make the best of that moment is akin to snatching
defeat from the jaws of victory,'' it said.
ACN said the expose by Channels shows that the media is alert to its
watchdog responsibility, hence it should not matter how the TV station
gained access to the college or who was behind it.
The party said the President could still make amends by making a
policy statement on how his administration plans to turn around the
fortunes of the police college in particular, and all the police
training institutions across the country in general, as part of an
general effort to improve the overall welfare of the men and women who
are saddled with the responsibility of protecting the lives and
properties of all citizens.
''Subjecting police men and women to dehumanizing and demeaning
conditions, the type exposed by Channels, during training means we
cannot and should not expect them to be exemplary after their training,
Nothing good can come out of what we saw in that college.
''Terrible as the state of the Police College in Ikeja is, it
represents a tip of the iceberg when compared with the pervasive rot in
police barracks and police stations, as well as the generally poor
welfare of the police. There is no doubt that the pervasive corruption
in our country and the lack of maintenance culture contributed to what
has now become a global embarrassment to the whole of Nigeria, not just
to the Jonathan Administration.
''Therefore, there is no better time than now for the Administration
to embark on a concerted effort to reverse the rot. It may also not be a
bad idea for the President, who was reportedly angry and shocked at
what he saw during the visit, to order a probe into how the institution
deteriorated so badly, with a view to prevent a recurrence,'' it said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Lagos, Jan. 21st 2013
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