Collapse of Police College building is disgraceful
A nation just recovering from the effect of the Reigners Church, Uyo collapse on December 10 was confronted with yet another tragedy, as a building in the Ikeja Police Barracks, Lagos, crumbled on Christmas Day. It was another evidence of the unpardonable neglect of the police as an institution, and the rank and file in particular. A sergeant and a visitor lost their lives as the toilet and the stairway of the building collapsed, while many more were injured and ended up in hospital.
The police force is a key government agency and is primarily responsible for maintaining internal security. As such, the men are exposed to danger almost all the time. When there are riots or when criminals strike, many policemen are killed. On many occasions, they have been accused of underperformance, unbridled corrupt practices and willful abuse of the rights of ordinary Nigerians. But, in all these, little attention is paid to their poor condition of service.
The collapse on Christmas Day when Christians all over the world were celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ deserves detailed attention. The government should not treat it as just another building collapse, or a minor accident since only a part of the building caved in. Already, both as a preventive measure and an acknowledgement that it is a wide-spread phenomenon, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, has ordered that the said building and two others that have shown signs of distress be pulled down. The situation in other police formations is no different. Most of the vehicles used by our policemen are dilapidated, offices in the stations do not depict the officers and men in good light and some are poorly cloaked.
Government has a duty to revamp the situation. Police budget, especially in the recent past should be probed. The Tafa Balogun episode should be an eye opener. The revelation by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and his predecessor over how vehicles bought with money allocated to the force was being spent to fend for the top brass is an indication that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should pay attention to the force once again.
We are aware of many recommendations by panels set up in the past to review working conditions and redress structural defects in the police force. Failure of the Federal Government to implement the recommendations is responsible for many of the atrocities credited to men of the force.
In January 2013, a Lagos-based television station came up with a week-long expose on poor feeding, accommodation and training facilities at the Ikeja Police College. Even President Goodluck Jonathan was so shocked that he raced to the college to personally evaluate the setting. He was the more shell shocked by his findings that he queried the commandant. Further investigations showed that the situation was not peculiar to Ikeja Police College. Indeed, all the other six police colleges subjected the recruits and trainee officers to inhuman conditions. When men being brought on board were so treated, how could they be expected to act according to standards in decent settings?
We are miffed that the indignation shown by Dr. Jonathan did not go beyond painting a few buildings at the college. The recent collapse should be seen as another opportunity to conduct a thorough review of the living conditions of the policemen. It is inconceivable that the men thrown out of the collapsed and collapsing buildings are literally living on the streets. The least that should be done is to immediately make emergency arrangement for their accommodation. Some of them who spoke with newsmen have been quoted as regretting taking up the job of ensuring peace in the country. Our policemen should not be treated as refugees and destitute. Men and women who are not respected cannot be self-respecting, let alone respect others.
We therefore call on the authorities responsible for granting approvals for building and ensuring that their integrity are not compromised to be alive to their responsibility. Tears in the faces of relations of those who lost their lives in the collapse of the international building at the Synagogue of All Nations, Lagos, in September 2014 remain fresh. The matter is still in court. After that, there have been many building collapses in Lagos, Abuja, Uyo and other parts of the country. The agencies responsible for building standards all over the country should ensure that standards are kept and those who breach the law brought to book.
