Promoting A Cordial Relationship Among Security Agencies In Nigeria

Yesterday, I read with dismay Obiora Tabansi's post on the DYM
facebook wall of a serious fight that ensued between some mobile
policemen posted to Owerri prison, and the prison armed squad
personnel. Tabansi narrated that a misunderstanding between a
mobile policeman and a prison warder had degenerated into a
fisticuff, and subsequently, a war sort of. He went on to say that the situation metamorphosed into a war-like scene, hence causing
panic among residents of Owerri and environs. There was heavy
shoot out which caused pandemonium in the eastern heartland, and
interrupted traffic on the ever-busy Okigwe road. He, however,
reported that the situation was brought under control after the
intervention of the Imo state commissioner of police and other top officers of the Nigerian Prisons Service.

Only last year, Nigerians were saddled with the gory story of how
some Policeman had killed an officer of the Nigerian Security and
Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Alarapa, Ogun state. It was reported
that the Civil defence officers had gone to arrest some pipeline
bunkerers in the said location; some policemen showed up and threatened them to let go of the suspects. One thing led to the
other, and the policemen opened fire on the civil defence officers
killing one of them; the rest escaped with injuries. Again, sometimes
last year, it was reported in the media of the fatal imbroglio
between men of the Nigerian army, and some policemen in Lagos.
The said incident, as was widely reported, led to lost of lives and property.

Ideally, a nation's security system is made up of different
components; with every member of the system having its own
role to contribute. In Nigeria, there are different components of the
security system: the armed forces (army, navy and airforce), the
police, and the paramilitary (immigration, custom and prisons services; civil defence, NDLEA, FRSC et al). Each of these security agencies
have its own role to play in the larger system. While the armed
forces are saddled with protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria,
the police and paramilitary, on the other hand, are mandated to keep
internal and civil peace. Apart from that, they are to work together
and collaborate among themselves to ensure that peace and security reign in the polity. With effective collaboration, it is
expected that a soldier can arrest a thief and hand him or her over
to the police for prosecution. An immigration officer can arrest an
escapee prisoner and return him or her to the prison. A prison
officer can arrest a drug peddler and hand him or her over to the
Drugs law officer, and so on. These collaborations have been sacrificed on the altar of selfishness, idiosyncrasy and self-
aggrandizement.

Why have the relationships among our security agencies gone sour?
The answer is not far-fetched.
A trend can be noticed in almost all the fights among the security
agents. It is always the police versus other security agents. From my own point of view, I feel that the police lack the spirit of
camaraderie- and it is obvious. The police are the most visible of all
the security agencies owing to the fact that its modus operandi
entails a kind of rapport with the wider society, unlike the others
whose modus operandi with the society is limited.
The spirit of comradeship is extinct in the police and it is the major reason why they are always at loggerhead with other sister
agencies. The police feel they are superior to other security agencies.
They look down on anyone who is not of their own. As a senior
prison officer, I am entitled to the rights and privileges of my
colleagues in other security agencies. I should be complimented by
every other junior officer irrespective of the arm of service. I have on countless occasions met with the men of the armed forces, road
safety and customs. Whenever I am in uniform and meet a soldier,
he or she gives me full compliment and go on to report that 'all
correct sir!' The same applies to other agencies except the police. I
have on several occasions fallen victim of police disrespect and lack
of espirit de corps. They are always rude and unprofessional in their dealings with other security agents. It is glaring that most
policemen are not properly trained, nay are indiscipline.

It is my opinion that the following solutions would help to reduce
the incessant fights among our security agencies;

1. Proper training and retraining of security agents. By so doing,
the security agents will come to terms with the fact that security can only be achieved by a collaboration of the different components
in the system.

2. Police officers should be made to undergo a kind of espirit de
corps training, so as to be able to treat other security agents
politely.

3. The welfare of security agents should be improved. In that light, their salaries and allowances should be reviewed to motivate them.
Again, their working environment should be improved upon to
enable them work without stress.

4. The issue of corruption should be addressed.

5. Indiscipline officers should be punished to serve as a detriment
to others.

6. Government should clearly map out the job jurisdiction of all the
security agents, to avoid rancour and encroachments.

7. There should be a forum where all the security agencies meet to
talk of the challenges and prospects. This will improve inter-service
relationship and promote espirit de corps.

Happy New Month!

To all the followers of my blog, I wish you a very wonderful and fun-filled September. Let me use this medium to remind you all that September is my birth month; hence, this month is very special to me. 29th of September is my day, and I would want you all to pray for me as I add one more year to my age to the glory of God.

To all the followers of my blog who are also celebrating their birthday this September, I say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Thank you and remain blessed.

Factors Militating Against The Nigerian Football League

Every Nigerian street is littered with billboards of all sizes showing European leagues match fixtures. Many entrepreneurs have seized this opportunity to make brisk profits by venturing into the business of showing these matches to people who cannot afford to provide it in their homes. Youths and adults alike converge in these viewing centres to watch their favorite European clubs owing to the fact that they cannot afford pay television services such as the DSTV and so on. Even if they can afford it in their homes, there will be no public power supply to enable them view these matches in the comfort of their homes. Nevertheless, these viewing centres provide them with ample opportunity to view European football league matches for a stipend. This goes to show the passion Nigerian youths have for football, more especially European leagues. On match days, football lovers converge in viewing centres adorning different jerseys of major European football clubs to cheer their preferred teams to victory. They leave behind their ethnic and political sentiments which had segregated them and discuss on their choice players, and often argue and/or bet on which team would win or lose. This is the passion of the Nigerian youth for the round leather game. The love for European football is uncalled for, and deadening of the local football league. Gone are the days when stadia are packed full with spectators who throng in their numbers to watch the more cherished local teams of the 1970s and 80s: The Bendel Insurance FC of Benin, Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan, the Flying Antelopes FC of Enugu, the Mighty Jets of Jos, just to mention but a few. Those were the good old days when our Nigerian local league was properly managed. Presently, however, our local league is in a near state of coma without its hitherto vibrancy and excitement.

Pundits have criticized the youths for neglecting the local league and glorifying the foreign leagues. But are they to be blamed for this trend? Nigerians are somewhat genetically inclined to having preference for foreign things. They appreciate less of home made goods and service, and appreciate more of imported ones. Hence, rich Nigerians would neglect hospitals herein and seek health services abroad, usually in India. Politicians also prefer to stack away looted funds in foreign banks in faraway Switzerland; while many expectant Nigerian mothers would prefer to deliver their babies in the United States of America. So it is obvious that Nigerians, generally, prefer foreign goods and services more than local ones. So blaming the youths for their preference of the well-organized foreign football leagues instead of the less fancied local league, is denigrating to say the least.

The question one would ask is: why are Nigerians not interested in the local leagues? Why do we fancy the foreign leagues more than the local ones? 

The answer is not far-fetched. It is obvious that Nigerians in general, like I have mentioned above, have a pathological craving for foreign goods and services than the local ones. But in this instance, Nigerians preference for European leagues instead of the local league transcends the craze for foreign things. The main reason for their preferring the European leagues is due to the poor administration and organisation of the local leagues. The local league is poorly managed and inadequately organized unlike the ones in Europe. There is a dearth of seasoned football managers and professionals in the boardroom of the local league. Adept football administrators are not given the opportunity to bring their skills to fore in the management of the league. The league is still under the shackles of politics and cabals. This has, however, been a clog in the wheels of the league. The league is not properly managed and often times, square pegs are fixed in round holes. The league is bogged down by corruption, lack of infrastructure, poor officiating, lack of sponsorship and the win-win attitude of Nigerians where a team is expected to win by all means at home and loss away games.

Poor management of the local league can be said to be the major problem militating against its boom. The Nigerian league has been heavily politicized that most people who know their onions in sports administration are not given the opportunity to contribute their ideas to the betterment of the league. The local league is left to the caprices of politicians who have no inkling of what football management is all about. The result is poorly managed league which is evident in the discrepancies and anomalies there in. Again, because of the political undertone inherent in appointing football administrators in Nigeria, government has on several occasions interfered with the running of football in Nigeria. Elsewhere where leagues are properly managed, governments don’t interfere in the administration of football, except in the area of provision of facilities. Therefore, if we want the Nigerian football league to be better for it, the right pegs must be placed in the right hole. Seasoned football administrators must be allowed to manage the league.

The stadia are poorly maintained. They are inundated with undulating pitches, deplorable viewing stands and stinking dressing rooms. A visit to a typical Nigerian stadium will leave one bitter. Nigerians are known for their poor maintenance culture; therefore, in Nigeria one can see a stadium which was built with a fortune overgrown by grass.  The Abuja National Stadium is an example. It was built to host the 8^th All African Games which took place in October 2003. Only ten years after, the stadium which cost $360 million to construct, is now in a sorry state due to lack of maintenance. The stadia that host Nigeria league matches are nothing to write home about. This is coupled with the fact that security of lives and property is not guaranteed in these stadia. It is often heard that many local league matches end up in affray. Most times, the referees, the players and the match officials end up been battered at match venues if they fail to compromise. At other times, fans of the opposing teams engage themselves in violent attacks which may lead to injury, lost of lives and property. All these are discouraging and put off football loving Nigerians from patronizing the local league games.

The officiating is below par. The major problem ensnaring the league is poor officiating. Often times, Referees show cards indiscriminately and award spot-kicks to home teams at the slightest push. It is a very common phenomenon in the league and it leaves one wondering the quality of Nigerian Referees. This accounts for why Nigerian Referees are not featured to officiate in regional and international competitions. Most Referees are not trained and lack the knowledge of modern refereeing. Others are not professionals enough as they tend to be biased, allowing their personal idiosyncrasies to affect their sense of judgments. Sometimes, watching a local match can be heart-breaking as the referee may, in public glare, make decisions which obviously tend to favour one team against the other. Most times, Referees are badgered into making decisions that tilt towards supporting the home teams or risk been mobbed, maimed or even killed. This arises because the home fans lack sportsmanship. 

Due to the plethora of problems bothering the beleaguered local league, sponsors are not allured to invest in it. The drought of sponsorship has left it dependent on funds from the government. Hence, it is common sight to see a team travelling in a decrepit bus for an away match or players wearing torn and worn out jerseys. The worst of all is that most local league players are not well catered for. Many of them are not paid sign on fees, match bonuses and other entitlements due to them. Where they are paid, however, it is so meagre compared to their counterparts abroad. This is why many local football players would not hesitate to jump ship if opportunity presents itself for them to play outside the shores of Nigeria. Many Nigerian players are sojourning in countries such as Sudan, Benin Republic and other smaller countries due to the fact that they are better off there. An investor can only invest his or her fund in lucrative ventures. No investor would want to invest in ventures that would not turn out profits. Sponsors are not investing in our local league because it is not a profitable venture. A local league match is characterized by empty seats in the stadium except for the players and their coaches, match officials, and a handful of die-hard fans that are ready to cause mayhem if their team won’t win the match. With such scenario, it is impossible for sponsors to recoup their investments in the league. In the past, heavyweights in the telecommunication sector have ventured into sponsoring the local leagues, but they would seize after a few weeks into the season due to lack of patronage by spectators. Therefore, if the local league must regain its lost glory, it must be revamped to attract sponsorship from the corporate world.

Local league games are not televised. This has made the league unpopular among the populace. Television rights for matches are not sought and given, unlike the European counterparts whose television rights for matches are competed for and thereby make huge profits from them. Due to the poor nature of the local league, no media station is interested in seeking for television rights of local league matches.

If we must resurrect the local league to function efficiently like their European counterparts, a total overhaul must be carried out. Firstly, the present management of the league must be axed. Thereafter, competent football administrators who have been tested and proven to deliver on their mandates should be appointed to steer the league system. After putting the right managers in place, stadia should be renovated, standard facilities provided and maintained to ensure longevity. Again, players’ entitlements should be paid as at when due. Their match bonuses, sign-on fees and other privileges should be paid in full to enable them put in their best. This would go a long way in making our home based players stay in the league, and also attract foreign players to it. The crux of the matter is that when the local league begins to function well, spectators will be attracted to it and we will be better for it.

The Jail, The Jailer And The Jailed In Nigeria

Recent national events have opened my eyes to the righteousness in lending a voice, in consonance with the foray of the Nigerian literati, to address societal impediments. This I do by penning down my thoughts on topical discusses. It became rather right to address myself as a writer ever since. But one of the challenges of budding writers like me is the ability to attract readership. To attract a sizeable number of readers, I have decided to keep away from writing on politics or religion or business et al, but to address the iniquitous aspect of my immediate constituency- the prison. I see myself as an aficionado in penal administration and practice. I have resolved to wail about the problems inherent in the prison system in Nigeria, through the fourth estate, until the power-that-be start pump-priming in the penal sector. My passion for the penal institution is far from ephemeral as all that I know and think about is the 21st century Nigerian Prisons Service which I cannot, in earnest, wait to see all in a pristine condition.

THE JAIL

Jails all over the world are mandated by law to restrain and keep in custody those people accused or convicted for crimes by the state. There are about 144 jails in Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Prison Service website (www.prisons.gov.ng ), with a total capacity of 47,284. Almost all the jails, with the exception of one or two, are in very sorry states. Jails in Nigeria are characterized by dated structures and overpowering stench, nay, dirty environment. The deplorable nature of our jails foretells the quality of their products. A visit to a typical Nigerian jail exudes the parsimonious attitude of government towards the penal institutions. The fixity of government and other stakeholders has deprived jails in Nigeria the grace of modern structures fit for human inhabitation. The Amnesty International reports on Nigerian jails show that the government of Nigeria, Africa's self-acclaimed giant, has a huge task to do in order to meet up with global trend in penal administration. The Kuje, Yenegoa, and Ikot-Ekpene prisons are exceptional. They are a prototype of modern prisons with necessary infrastructure and up-to-date facilities that can compete with any jail in the world. They are the most recent jails in Nigeria, which is why they are not in the class of the rest.

If the government can build a facsimile of the Ikot-Ekpene prison in all the states of the federation, the Criminal Justice System will be the better for it, then critics like me can really take to other vocations, and the rumpus will cease.

THE JAILED

According to the Nigerian Prison Service statistical information provided on its website (www.prisons.gov.ng/about/statistical - info.php), there are 53,816 jailed persons as at 30th April, 2013. Comparing the number of jailed people and the total capacity of jails connotes over-crowding. It is widely acclaimed that jails in Nigeria are bogged down by congestion, no thanks to the awaiting trial phenomenon. This situation, however, is a major challenge to the prison authority in achieving its mandate of reforming, rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders. These inmates are not only famished as they thrive to survive with the limited healthcare available in our jails, they rather become dejected instead of been rehabilitated. What we have as jails neither reforms nor rehabilitates the jailed as there are no equipments to indulge them in vocational trainings nor are there the necessary vehicles for socio-psychological reorientation of the incarcerated. Therefore, the helpless offender leaves the prison without acquiring skills that will help him or her resettle after release. Upon release, most ex-offenders are worse than they were before their confinement to prison. This accounts for the high rate of recidivism experienced in Nigeria.

THE JAILER

A warder or wardress’ job is a noble one that requires individuals with impeccable character and high intelligence. This is because apart from the normal turnkey job of a prison staff, he or she is expected to be a behaviour modifier. This, in effect, makes the prison staff a security agent and more importantly, a correctional officer. Ideally, a prison staff is a psychologist, a social welfarist, a custodian, a trainer and a law enforcement officer. The question is, are Nigerian prison officers in the right shape to provide security and correctional services expected from them? A typical prison staff is rotund, timid and frigid. This is informed by unfriendly working environment and conditions. Little is given to the prison staff, while more is demanded of them. The ordeal faced by prison staff ranges from meagre pay to pay slash ( or “pilfering” like my friend, Fidelis Ajukura, would call it) to lack of office and barrack accommodation, lack of allowances, uniforms and accoutrements, and lack of training and retraining, just to mention but a few. As a result, many prison officers become frustrated and gradually lose morale. Many of them, especially in the rank and file, lack the discipline and rectitude expected of them for the normal functioning of the job. The recruitment process is marred by ethnicity and polymorphous corruption. People are recruited based on sentiments instead of merit; others are recruited on cash-and-carry basis. Hence, all sorts of criminal elements are found on the payroll of the Nigerian Prisons Service who might eventually ascend to the apex of their career, thereby systematically converting the service into private fiefdom, by recruiting more of their kinds.

To be continued…….

Case For A Prison Service Commission

Prison is an important segment of every society because it keeps custody of offenders in the society. Not only that they harbor the legally interned, they tend to reform and rehabilitate these criminals and thereafter, reintegrate them to the wider society as law-abiding citizens.  Just as crime is a functional phenomenon in every society, so is the importance of prison to national and global development. The role of prison in national and global development does not only include providing a safe society devoid of felonious and phoney elements, it also provides a mechanism for reforming, rehabilitating and resettling scofflaws. Suffice me to say that if the prison is well harnessed, it can serve as a veritable tool for economic prosperity vis-à-vis agricultural development.

In Nigeria, however, prisons have been relegated to the background hence it is in a downswing mode. The condition of prisons nationwide is in a very deplorable state, coupled with the fact that government and the society in general view the prison institution as a pariah. The penal institution, due to decades of neglect and decay, is in the verge of collapse. The prison system in Nigeria is saddled with decayed structures, endemic corruption, low staff moral, poor funding, external attacks and aggressions and societal neglect. The question is: why is the prison institution in this poor condition? My humble answer, after a careful observation of the elements in the Criminal Justice System in Nigeria, is the lack of an independent commission that oversees the prison alone.

Of the three arms of the Criminal Justice System, only the Prison is devoid of a commission. This may account for why the prisons in Nigeria are at a low-ebb. Hence, I am strongly convinced that if the Federal government of Nigeria would create a separate commission for the prison service in Nigeria, the story of the service will change for good. The proposed Prison Service Commission will have the mandate to appoint qualified and competent persons to hold posts or ranks in the prison service. They will also fix and regulate conditions of service, including salaries, allowances and other benefits of officers and men of the service. The would-be commission would also ensure the general well-being and administration of the prison service and its maintenance of high state of efficiency. It will also be saddled with determining the nature of disciplinary powers to be exercised over officers of the service, and the manner and circumstances in which they are to be exercised.

When established, the commission will not be responsible to the Minister of Interior, but to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It would be made up of people of integrity and professionals in penal administration. Like the Police and Judicial Service Commissions, the proposed Prison Service Commission would address some of the teething challenges bedeviling the prison system which hinders it from achieving its mandates.

Dearth of Borstal Institutions in Nigeria

 It is true what they say, the eyes is the window to the soul and
the things we see have untold influence upon us. Three days ago, I
reported for patrol duty at my station with hopes of having a
normal day as usual. Instead, unlike other days that zooms by
uneventfully, that afternoon
started and ended on an emotional note. I had taken over from the morning duty officer, gone round the
yard for inspection and settled down in my scantily furnished office
for the day's job when I noticed a thin little boy, a minor, sitting in
front of the Records office with his chin rested upon his kneels. I
could tell that he was already regretting the deed that got him to
where he was. Every new convict suffer such moments of repentance, of self-hate, once they arrive at the Record Office. The
Record Office, a ten by twelve room, adjacent to my office, is where
new inmates at the prison get documented. I looked closely at the
little boy, trying to place his age. I called him. And as he staggered
towards me, looking fragile and tender; I concluded that he could not be more than 13. When he got closer I asked him his age, and
he stuttered - alas! My guess was right - that he was 13 years old.
I dismissed him, took out my jotter and started scribbling this note.

 The nonchalance or utter wickedness of a single person could ruin a
million lives. And the failure or outright refusal of other people to seek redress goes a long way in normalizing a lot of anomalies. How
else can this situation be explained? A 'learned' Judge would remand
or sentence a minor to an adult prison; the prison warders then
gladly accept and incarcerate same person. What is even more pathetic is that these minors, on arrival, are lumped together with
adult prisoners without proper classification. Coupled with the harsh
condition inherent there in, I often wonder what these minors
would metamorphose to when eventually let back into the society.
Most minors are first offenders; naive and fragile, probably
students in secondary or primary schools whose futures become terminated with the bang of a gavel! Matter of fact, most minors
tend turn into hardened criminals when they are released, albeit
becoming recidivists. Because imprisoning them jeopardizes their
educational pursuit, parental and societal respect, and their future in
general, they seem to find justification in the life of crime. When this
happens, prisons turn to breeding ground for criminals instead of serving the purpose of correctional facilities!

Are Judges who send minors to adult prisons ignorant of fact that
minor offenders are not to be incarcerated in such facilities? Are
they (the judges) not aware of the grave consequences of such
act, or do they chose to neglect them? Are the prison staffs
mandated to accept minors in our prisons? Is everyone ignorant of
the existence and benefits of borstal institutions?

Minors are special offenders who should be taken to special facilities
like the borstal and remand homes. A borstal institution is exclusively for the imprisonment of minors who are in conflict with the law. It is structured to provide vocational training and education to young offenders in a suitable environment for children devoid of harshness obtainable in adult prisons. As at the last count, there are three borstal schools in Nigeria, located in Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ilorin. The major culprit in the crime of
imprisoning minors is the police. The police intimidate these minors
and label them with false ages. Again, the prison authorities accept
these minors, against laid down regulation, so as to increase their lock-ups and consequently their imprest. On the other hand, the number of borstal institutions in Nigeria is
grossly inadequate.

 In the light of these, I wish to proffer the following solutions to stop the act of sending
minors to adult prisons:

1. The Federal Government should build borstal schools in every
state of the federation.

2. Judges and Magistrates should be schooled in prison techniques
to enable them know the dos and don’ts of the prison system.

3. The police should be compelled to provide evidence of age of
suspects in courts.

4. Gate officers in prisons should be allowed to reject minors when they are
brought from the courts. Hence, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) facilities should
be provided in the prisons.

5. Above all, we should be good role models to our minors to
dissuade them from crime.