From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, has mapped out strategies to ensure the renovation, demolition, and rebuilding of dilapidated structures in all the police barracks across Nigeria, with a view to ensuring that lives of policemen and their families, living in the barracks are not endangered, apart from building 125 new police stations and decent adjoining barracks.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, made the disclosure during an interview with journalists at the weekend, on the sidelines of the fourth anniversary and award ceremony of a real estate company, Kemsan Acres Global Limited, held at Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Williams Adebowale, was among senior police officers in attendance on the occasion. The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Chief Ademola Babalola, was also among the people from all walks of life who graced the anniversary. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Kemsan Acres Global Limited, Mr. Oluwaseun Owoseni, was the chief host during the event, which had a car as the star prize for the most outstanding member of staff of the company, as well as other prizes, including a gas cooker, a television set, all expenses paid trip to Kigali in Rwanda, and award plaques, as a way of rewarding excellence for the staff of the company. Adejobi, who specifically answered questions on the block of building at the Sango Police Barracks in Ibadan, which collapsed on Saturday, April 22, 2023, with no casualty, and the reports that many structures in the police barracks across the country have become derelict, said: “The incident was an unfortunate one at Sango Police Barracks in Ibadan. We are aware. We were told. Like you said, most of them are very old. What we are thinking is to map some of them for adequate renovation. In fact, there are some of them that we are thinking of demolishing outrightly.
“The IGP is discussing with the Police Trust Fund, and relevant MDAs – Ministry of Police Affairs. At times, there is no way we want to have the adequate and proper renovation of police barracks without having interventions. So, the IGP has taken the bull by the horn to make sure that we access most of these things, discuss with relevant MDAs, to see what we can do.
“By and large, in the one year and six months, or thereabout, the IGP has decided to be renovating some and to even build new ones. As I speak with you, we have built nothing less than 125 new police stations, with adjoining standard barracks, that when you live in such a place, you will feel honoured. You will have that self-esteem that you are living in a very decent place. So, it is a gradual thing. We cannot finish all at a time. Do not forget that we have thousands of barracks across the country. It is not a day thing. It is a process we have commenced. The IGP is trying to think outside the box to see how we can address these barracks problems.
“At times, most of the barracks are disgusting. They are dirty. This is why at times, we talk to our people so that they can keep the barracks neat. There are many things we are looking into to make sure we rejuvenate or protect or maintain our barracks. There are so many internal things the police are considering to make sure barracks are adequately managed, because there are rules. When you reside in a barracks, there are rules you must follow. Are we still following the rules? We need to actually follow the rules and to enforce these rules. So, we are working internally to make sure we address these problems.
“Apart from that, we are also reaching out to MDAs and National Assembly, to seek intervention on how we are going to holistically address this problem of accommodation in Nigeria Police Force. It is very key to us and we are interested in doing that.”
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the real estate company, Owoseni, also said the “brain behind this initiative, from the beginning, is because we believe there are so many housing deficits in Nigeria. Therefore, the company decided to come in to provide solutions to this challenge. In solving the housing deficit we have in Nigeria now, the federal and state governments must ensure that they provide basic amenities for us, the real estate developers; such as good road networks, drainage system, electricity and so on. These will enable us to enlarge our coasts in the real estate business, so that we can go to the rural areas to convert them to habitable urban settlement areas.”
The Chairman, NUJ, Oyo State, Chief Ademola Babalola, however, advised the incoming administration of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), upon assumption of office as from May 29, 2023, “to pump more money into the Federal Mortgage Bank, so that it will be able to dispense more money to Nigerian workers. Doing so will allow more people to build more houses and live meaningful lives.