A police force for the politicians?

The decision to close the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport has been a cause of debate between the senate, aviation stakeholders, the contractor of the project and the minister of aviation. With the senates and aviation stakeholders insisting the airport be accessible while the repair is being done, the minister and the contractor insisting closing the airport for six week until the repair is completed unless if the senates want the work to be completed within a span of two years.

With the Kaduna-Abuja highway in bad shape, the rate of arm robbery, kidnapping and the stress of travelling down for another 2 hours, the fear of our politicians are understandable. But in the minister’s bid to convince the senates and stakeholders of the inevitability of repairing the runway and using it at the same time, he has come up with some measures ranging from repair of the KadunaAbuja highway which has already begun, provision of adequate security, buses, train and helicopters all because our senators and our elites are about to start plying the highway.

The most astonishing part of the debate was when the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) weighed in. Explaining how it plans to cater for the security challenge along the road. A force tasked with the responsibility of enforcing law and order in the country and having staff strength of about 370,000 which translates to 1 officer per 459 Nigerians, with a chunk of its personnel deployed to provide security to politicians, foreign envoys, all branches of commercial banks, judges, royal highnesses, the rich who can afford, and business tycoons has decided to provide 500 Hilux trucks, 500 tactical operation teams, three helicopters for aerial patrols and movement of high profile passengers, and train marshals in each coach to provide security for travellers using the train.

All these security provisions which translate to 2 trucks per kilometre will be put in place just because our politicians and elites are about to start plying a road that other Nigerians have been struggling on for years. A road whose poor state has contributed to so many accidents over the years, a road where arm robbery and kidnapping has become an order. The whole idea of providing this plethora of police personnel to protect politician at the peril of a populace that is struggling with rise in crime, lawlessness, kidnapping and communal crises is really outrageous and a crime against every community whose scintilla of police personnel will be drawn to protect our politicians and elites that have been contributing to the scarcity of police to our communities. The decision leaves one wondering who the police are paid to protect. Whether they are paid to protect Nigerians in general or protect politicians at the expense of every other Nigerian.

It will be in the best interest of all if the federal government stops the trend of posting plenty police personnel to politicians and the put measures in place to increase the work force of the Nigerian Police Force. Government should also realise that the 10,000 personnel it plans to add to the force is just a shred of what Nigeria currently needs for law and order to prevail. Moreover, if proper security is provided in every community, both the politician, the rich, the common man and properties will be safe. Yahaya Idris, Abuja.