Friday, 24 May 2013
My Police College Is Better Than Yours By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Columnist:
Correct Me If I Am Right By Rudolf Okonkwo Two years ago, a friend of mine dropped out of circulation without the slightest warning. He was someone I spoke to, at least, once a month, though, most times, we spoke once a week. So his disappearance was traumatic to me.
My friend graduated from one of those elite schools in America and went on to work for the greatest corporations of the world. In a way that I could never fathom, he understood the world properly – its politics and economy. He was also a master of human behavior. When the likes of Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Sanusi Lamido make their fancy statements about macroeconomic indicators, default swabs, and adding value and capacity building to things that have no way of retaining either, he was the one who translated such jargons for me.
On a tangible level, when Nigeria’s foreign reserve went down, he would tell me even before the newspapers filed their reports. He even knew what the money was used for. When it went up, he also knew why. When my postulations were off mark, he would educate me. When my conclusions were an overreach, he would pull me back. He was well plugged in politically and otherwise. Invariably, he was doing something very important for me – crosschecking my reality.
So he disappeared. I tried to contact him by all the means I knew but he would not respond. In over ten years that I had known him no month had ever passed that we were not in touch. Even when he was traveling all over the world, as he often did, he found a way to keep in touch – even if it was just as simple as sending a note about something I wrote.
One day, I heard through a source that he had joined the government in some capacity. Though surprised, I wasn’t alarmed. I had always felt that he knew more than those running the country so it would not be a bad thing for him to go inside and make the changes he had proposed in several of our conversations. I made further efforts to reach him but no luck. He would have been able to explain in a layman’s language why we are borrowing money from China, day in day out, when we have $46 billion in foreign reserve. Also, he would have been able to map out for me the political intrigues playing out within the PDP.
Nine months after I first heard that he had joined the government, he contacted me. He confirmed that he was working for the government but said he was not at liberty to keep the communication line open. Then, in a parting shot, he noted, “my friend, government is worse than you ever imagined.”
Coming from him, that statement meant a lot to me. Though I may sound confident most times, in my quiet moments, I often question if I was not being dribbled by events. At night I’d wonder if I was not being beaten aerially. Every now and then, I needed to hear the state of things from trusted people who are in the know -people who have in their palms the stories behind the stories.
Many months ago, I sincerely concluded that President Jonathan’s presidency, when it is all said and done, will be a wash. But I did not know that he is worse than I can ever imagine.
President Jonathan made a surprise visit to the Lagos Police College to see for himself the despicable images of the institution that Channels TV had broadcast. He came. He saw. And he shot himself in the foot.
Instead of picking a fight with the people in authority who allowed such an institution to degenerate to that level, he picked a fight with the TV station that brought those images to the world. He questioned how the TV station was able to get inside the institution and record such shameful living conditions. Like a sinking man who feels perpetually under attack, he conjured up the emotion that the goal of that exposé was to embarrass him and his government. Why would anybody bother to embarrass a man who does a good job embarrassing himself each time he opens his mouth?
Like I said, at best, President Jonathan is a wash. The real surprise for me in the whole drama was the reaction of the Nigerian people. I have always known that the Nigerian people are smarter than their president. Now I fear that the dumb down is beginning to affect we, the people.
I was surprised that Nigerians seemed outraged by the state of the Police College. It made me question, for the very first time, where in the world my people have been. When you read that this Inspector General of police stole billions and another one stole a fraction of a trillion, what did you think the billions were meant for? These things are all connected. That we are not conscious of these connections really troubled me.
When a pension fund is embezzled, it simply meant that hundreds of thousands of retirees are going to go without their pension at the most vulnerable period of their lives. You don’t have to know a retiree to feel their pain. You don’t have to visit their homes to understand their sufferings. You don’t have to watch them drop dead on a line waiting for their pension to get outraged. But it appears that our people, in our undying quest to get our own share, have lost the capacity to value others by putting ourselves in their shoes.
When Nigerian government officials or their associates are flown abroad for treatment, the fund is coming from our limited commonwealth. That is from the same pot that was initially designated for something that would have served the greater good. There is no way of eating your akara and having it. The billions in foreign exchange that we spend sending the kids of beneficiaries of government largesse abroad to study; wives of government officials on medical excursions; attending unnecessary jamborees abroad, are the same funds we should have used to provide services to our people. This gross mismanagement is what makes all the difference between one oil producing country and another. The earlier we understand these connections, the better for us.
I was also shocked that Nigerians were disgusted by the poor state of the Police College dormitories. Maintenance of infrastructures is not the forte of Nigerians. Wasn’t our billion naira National Stadium abandoned right in the neighborhood of the president? Even on individual level, haven’t you noticed that many homes in Nigeria don’t get maintained ever? Some buildings in FESTAC have never been repainted since 1977. And it wasn’t that the owners could not afford to do so. Ever noticed how fast the once magnificent 1004 Flats in Lagos turned into a dump?
When you visit the homes of Nigerians abroad, most times, they are in disrepair. I often joke that you only need to know the street where a Nigerian lives and not the house number. Once on the street you can identify the house of a Nigerian by the state of the lawns. Once you see over grown lawns or a lawn with patches of dead grasses, you may be looking at the home of a Nigerian. In the winter, un-shoveled walk ways will give the Nigerian home away.
I regularly ask Nigerians abroad to pay a visit to their secondary school or even university whenever they travel home. A visit to your secondary school dormitory, where you once lived, will put the Nigerian situation in the right perspective for you. That is, if there is still a dormitory. And if it is better than the picture from the Police College, then, you are one of the exceptions.
The Nigerian decay is vast and deep. To begin to extricate ourselves from the abyss we have fallen into, we have to first of all enforce a paradigm shift. We have to stop deceiving ourselves that it was God who put these wasteful spenders in power. God had nothing to do with it. And once we accept that, then we will regain the strength to question them. Except we belong to those whose philosophy is that we should not disturb the comfortable – in fact, that we should worship them so that our turn will come.
Those who treat police recruits as “poultry chickens” should not be stunned that as full fledge cops, they treat citizens as compost. If a police college is in that horrible shape, imagine the shape our prisons are. Do you also need a camera to go into the Nigerian prison before you figure it out?
The moment I see a police officer on a road checkpoint wearing a pair of bathroom slippers and holding together parts of his gun with ropes, I knew what to expect in their living quarters. If there is a Nigerian English dictionary, the best image to illustrate filth is the picture of a police barrack.
Over the years, Nigerians have been reduced to a mere greedy bunch. For us, the only games in town are; whose property is bigger; whose vanity is superior, whose grandeur is larger. The measure of success has been reduced to some silly mantras: My bank accounts are larger than yours; my hummer is bigger than yours; my kids are in more elite universities abroad than yours; my pastor’s temple is larger than yours; my convoy is longer than yours. This greed breeds corruption and the corruption in turn feeds the greed. And the vicious cycle continues. Self-aggrandizement has become a substitute for self-actualization.
The commandant of the Lagos Police College said something apt when faced with what should have been an embarrassing situation. His answer was basically simple: my police college may be bad but it is better than yours. The president seems to understand. And Nigerians seem to understand, too.
In Nigeria, things are really worse than you ever imagined. If you haven’t realized it, it is only because you have not seen the video clip yet.
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I weep for Nigeria and her
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2013 - 23:14.
I weep for Nigeria and her people. I weep for we have been constantly swindled without notice. I weep because we have lost all sense of consciouness regarding the excesses of our so called leaeders. than you Rudolf for this piece and Thank you Sahara reporters for the platform. Nigerians are very far away from redemption though and that is why everything is collapsing and nobody ever asks a question, ever.
The tragedy called Nigeria.
Submitted by Idowu Ade (not verified) on January 24, 2013 - 13:43.
Thanks Rudolf. Everything now fits into place about the tragedy called Nigeria.
I've just returned from a visit to country and could not believe both my eyes and ears. To make matters worse I switched on CNN the other day only to be comfronted by our so called dear President telling lies about the state of things in the country. I am weeping as i write.
Idowu Ade
Rude boy is a free writer, stupid!
Submitted by freeThinker (not verified) on January 24, 2013 - 13:41.
@Deee; Why dont you just email Rudolf of what you want him to write about and he will just copy and paste it here. You wrote; "Do us a favor: Focus more on writings like this that can unite your readers behind you, rather than trying to criticize Scripture or demean faith". That is just laughable! A writer writes what brings a debate, not something to make your pastor, bishop, pope, deacon(pick ur team)feel like flying on a private jet.
On This One, Ogoo, We Agree
Submitted by Dee (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 17:38.
'nuff said! You hit the nail on the head with this one. Do us a favor: Focus more on writings like this that can unite your readers behind you, rather than trying to criticize Scripture or demean faith.
God bless you!
Thank you Sahara Reporter
Submitted by Shehu Garba - Canada (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 14:36.
The govt reads what sahara reporter writes. Please keep the good work going. But be ready to get bombs from the likes of Labaran Maku.
Thank you,
Moses
I respect sahara report's journalism
Submitted by Shehu Musa (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 14:31.
Please keep the good work. The govt reads what sahara says.
Thank you,
Shehu
Rude boy is SPOT ON!
Submitted by freeThinker (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 14:08.
Oh my Dayz!!! This piece should be part of a Nigerian new testament. This write-up should be in the constitution. This one, this genius wordings should be read in school assemblies across Nigeria (not sure Boko haram will allow this in the north though). This, as sad as it comes, makes me believe, we need more thinkers and doers like RUDE BOY Okonkwo. Bless up!
Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer!
Submitted by Sumanguru (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 12:55.
We have to stop deceiving ourselves that it was God who put these wasteful spenders in power. God had nothing to do with it. And once we accept that, then we will regain the strength to question them.
Rudolph, my brother you are good, no question of that. As far as I am concerned, the quote above captures the whole essence of the sheepish nature of the Nigerian followership. The present crop of so-called Nigerian rulers must be wiped off for this unfortunate country to move forward.
Rudolph the Amerikana!
Submitted by Mc (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 10:58.
Rudolph, master of subterfuge. Mr talk talk. Your uninitiated band of gullible readers are singing ur praise and your head swells. You know, it's unfortunate that you, by feeding forever these poor souls with your negative and demonized images of Nigeria, you're making their lives miserable because whatever image they consume must play out in their lives. You sell us all ills ranging from gayism, atheism, pessimism et al. Join 'real naija heroes hall of fame'. Fela, we know am. Kongi, we know am. Gani, we know am. Dele Giwa, we know. Falana, we know. Keyamo, we know. Even Okey Ndibe, we know. Oga you be sef!? Runaway soldier. Rudolph the Americana. lol! We still dare u to become our own Martin Luther King jr, starting with an 'I have a dream...' at Boko Haram's Maiduguri; writing an Islamic version of your article on The Bible etc.
The President visit
Submitted by Steve Osasuyi (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 09:26.
If the President swept what he saw at the police barrack under the carpet, then he is not fit to lead us. Seriousness is somebody takes responsibility for the mess.
rudolf, rudolf, rudolf. how
Submitted by loko (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 08:54.
rudolf, rudolf, rudolf. how many times did i called u. hmmmmm.
let us expose madness
Submitted by nnanna okey (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 06:10.
Please let us expose more of the madness listed above.. if anyone visits his or her former school, take the photo of the rubish and post it..... l am yet to see more of video photos of naija police collecting bribe at checking points...
a proverb goes like this: if madness is exposed, then its cure is at hand... let there be cyber war against naija madness..
Great Writeup
Submitted by Ter (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 05:53.
More grease to your knuckles. Nigerians wake up before we are sold back to slavery.
Key point start at home.
he came, he saw, he shot himself
Submitted by jack (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 05:25.
Yeah, man. Jonathan came, he saw and he shot himself in the foot. tThat is classic elegy for the president.
Come to think of these
Submitted by Adil Athi (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 04:50.
Come to think of these assertions:
'Those who treat police recruits as “poultry chickens” should not be stunned that as full fledge cops, they treat citizens as compost......The moment I see a police officer on a road checkpoint wearing a pair of bathroom slippers and holding together parts of his gun with ropes, I knew what to expect in their living quarters. If there is a Nigerian English dictionary, the best image to illustrate filth is the picture of a police barrack"
I cannot but agree with brother Rudolf that the state of the states and the entity called Nigeria is truly 'vast and deep'. Nigeria has been turned into a junkyard of human and material resources.
419/Cultist Akpabio Akwa Ibom is the most poverty stricken state
Submitted by Ini Udo (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 01:35.
" When Nigerian government officials or their associates are flown abroad for treatment, the fund is coming from our limited commonwealth. That is from the same pot that was initially designated for something that would have served the greater good. There is no way of eating your akara and having it. The billions in foreign exchange that we spend sending the kids of beneficiaries of government largesse abroad to study; wives of government officials on medical excursions; attending unnecessary jamborees abroad, are the same funds we should have used to provide services to our people. This gross mismanagement is what makes all the difference between one oil producing country and another. The earlier we understand these connections, the better for us." Curtesy ROO, SR.
Please can the thieving governor Godswill Akpabio, his Jesebel wife Unoma and Akpabis brothers read this? They have stolen all the money meant for the people. There is abject poverty in the state.
419/Cultist Akpabio Akwa Ibom is the most poverty stricken state
Submitted by Ini Udo (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 01:30.
" When Nigerian government officials or their associates are flown abroad for treatment, the fund is coming from our limited commonwealth. That is from the same pot that was initially designated for something that would have served the greater good. There is no way of eating your akara and having it. The billions in foreign exchange that we spend sending the kids of beneficiaries of government largesse abroad to study; wives of government officials on medical excursions; attending unnecessary jamborees abroad, are the same funds we should have used to provide services to our people. This gross mismanagement is what makes all the difference between one oil producing country and another. The earlier we understand these connections, the better for us." Curtesy ROO, SR.
Please can the thieving governor Godswill Akpabio, his Jesebel wife Unoma and Akpabis brothers read this? They have stolen all the money meant for the people. There is abject poverty in the state.
This one is better, Azuka
Submitted by Acho (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 00:57.
This quote is even better, Azuka.
"The Nigerian decay is vast and deep. To begin to extricate ourselves from the abyss we have fallen into, we have to first of all enforce a paradigm shift. We have to stop deceiving ourselves that it was God who put these wasteful spenders in power. God had nothing to do with it. And once we accept that, then we will regain the strength to question them. Except we belong to those whose philosophy is that we should not disturb the comfortable – in fact, that we should worship them so that our turn will come." - Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Make Positive Contribution
Submitted by Nwando (not verified) on January 23, 2013 - 00:35.
Mr Okonkwo,I can read the hand writing on the wall,political appointment is your next promotion.Please tell Nigerians what you will do differently if by tomorrow you are appointed either presidential spokesman or commissioner for information in your State.I will lose hope if you become "OTIMkPU" i.e professional praise singer.By then,the likes of Dr Reuben Abati,Mr Labaran Maku would become Nigerian saints.If you check your records objectively you will agree with me that Olusegun Adeniyi,the late president Umaru Y'Adua spokesman is today seen as a saint when compared with the incumbent spokesman.
Mr President nobody can take away your giant strides on power sector,railway,massive road construction etc.Mr President,you insulted over 159m Nigerians the day your government withdrew the so called subsidy,under your nose,paid fruadsters in the name of fuel subsidy and turn back begging the same fraudsters to refund,SURE-P program failed even before taking off.Nigerians are wiser.
Lol- filth and police
Submitted by Azuka (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 23:47.
"If there is a Nigerian English dictionary, the best image to illustrate filth is the picture of a police barrack." Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Lol!
Quotable quote
Submitted by Azuka (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 23:29.
"Over the years, Nigerians have been reduced to a mere greedy bunch. For us, the only games in town are; whose property is bigger; whose vanity is superior, whose grandeur is larger. The measure of success has been reduced to some silly mantras: My bank accounts are larger than yours; my hummer is bigger than yours; my kids are in more elite universities abroad than yours; my pastor’s temple is larger than yours; my convoy is longer than yours. This greed breeds corruption and the corruption in turn feeds the greed. And the vicious cycle continues. Self-aggrandizement has become a substitute for self-actualization." - Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
I concur.
"police na poultry, citizen na compost"
Submitted by Fe.muwe. on January 22, 2013 - 22:39.
good one, do.kito.! fe.la self could not say it better. but all this talk na medicine after death. your patient done already quench, begin dey rotten.
no body can fail to see 9ja problem after baba 70 explained it so well: "zombie" plus "authority stealing" plus "shuffering and shmiling" equals to "nigeria we HELL thee". simple! even the 1% must lose, no matter how much they loot, because either they will be kidnapped, BH will blow up their convoy or their private jet will crashland inside pothole. or they will die young from overfeeding and stress.
sukumus iramus, heeparipa, aaaaaaaamin!
Though,i'm not dat suprised
Submitted by theo (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 22:32.
Though,i'm not dat suprised with evryfin dats revealed on TV set bcos i was dia on 4different occasion btw oct & nov last year 2check on my broda who was unda-goin his trainin den. But my problem as u've ritely said is wat kind of bhaviours are we xpectin from a cop brought up in such enviroment? For a person lyk me who has witness d place live,its even worse dan u can eva imagine 4 those dat watch d broadcast.
Ruddy boy, please tell me
Submitted by Naija East Coast...Uh Yesoo (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 22:04.
Ruddy boy, please tell me that your friendship story is Ruddy made. Because, that is not the dictionary meaning of a friend. A friend should know about a friend’s new jig first hand and, not through a third party source.
Anyway, get ready for an attack from those “Nigeria go better crusaders”. They will tell you that there’s nothing about this your write-up; only ignorance and, say stuff like come back home and lead us. We don’t have “homes” in Nigeria. What we have mostly are shelters.
Brilliant. Just like
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 21:33.
Brilliant.
Just like Santana advert in the past. This is spot on and "There is nothing more to add"
Lord have mercy
Take a bow `Lalit Bhanot`for
Submitted by abatakan (not verified) on January 22, 2013 - 20:52.
Take a bow `Lalit Bhanot`for those that do not know,
google him, in any sane society the fact that the commandant of the college felt embolden enough to tell his boss (the commander in chief/president) that the squalor he has witness is nothing, and he is still in a job?Like Lalit Bhanot (watch the commandant rise to be IG)
Thanks for writing what we are thinking, apart from the Jesus brigade that will flood the comments with how he will come and save the country.
