From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Chief Emeka Anyaoku has described as masterpiece a book with the title, ‘Policing the Nigeria Police’.
Chief Anyaoku made the remarks during the presentation of the book written by the former Chairman of Police Service Commission, Chief Simon Okeke in Lagos.
The event with Chief Anyaoku as Chairman on the occasion attracted the likes of Chief Arthur Mbanefo; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; General Ike Nwachukwu (retd) as guests of honours; the political class; many retired and serving senior police officers; the army and indeed who is who in Nigeria.
Chief Anyaoku noted that the book was a product of an in-depth research which diagnosed the issues around the activities of the Nigeria Police Force, highlighting problems and proffering solutions based on the practical experience of Chief Okeke as a one-time police boss.
“I readily accepted Ochendo’s invitation to chair this book launch for two main reasons.
“First, is that Chief Simon Okeke has remained my good friend for now more than fourty six years. We were first introduced to each other in London in 1975 by our mutual friend the late Dr Alex Ekwueme who subsequently became the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“My second reason for gladly accepting to chair this event is my admiration of Chief Simon Okeke’s record of public service to Nigeria and his leadership role of his people, Ndigbo.
“I have read the book we are launching today, it is fascinating and elegantly written narrative of his five years of public service Chairman of Nigeria’s Police Service Commission, a body created by the constitution to stand guard over the Nigeria Police.
“I shall, of course, leave that to the book reviewer to tell us more about the book. But suffice it for me to say that I much enjoyed reading about the Commission Chairman’s interactions with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, about his often bumpy relations with the Inspectors General of Nigeria Police who seemed reluctant to accept the full extent of the supervisory role of the Commission over the Nigeria Police as envisaged in the constitution, and about his cordial collaborative interactions with his colleague members of the Commission,” he said.
Chief Anyaoku said his narration was replete with vintage Simon Okeke’s sense of humour and character of speaking truth to power, and generally saying it as it is.
“I also particularly enjoyed reading his profile of the person and character of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as President and as a human being. It is a masterpiece, written with discretion and careful choice of words.
“I would, for instance, like to endorse his picture of President Obasanjo’s sensitivity and magnanimity by telling the story of how the then Anambra State Governor, Chris Ngige had approached me with photographs of the sacking of the Governor’s office and governement institutions in Awka by unknown hoodlums, and had also complained to me that the President was refusing to receive him like his other colleague Governors in the Villa, Abuja.
“Following my intervention, one evening President Obasanjo telephoned me and said that he had with him a visitor who would like to speak to me.
“Having handed his phone to his visitor, I was surprised and delighted to hear the voice of Governor Chris Ngige greeting me Adazie to which I replied Onwa and asked him to hand the phone back to his host, “Chief Anyaoku said.
In her goodwill message, the Nigerian prolific and celebrated novelist, Chimamanda Adichie said that readers of Chief Okeke’s book would find an interesting account of how the Police Service Commission carried out its oversight role.
More importantly, according to her, they would also find aspects of Chief Okeke himself. She described Chief Okeke as a man of wide-ranging humanity and intelligence, a man of wisdom, humour, and generosity of spirit. A man whose opinion and worldview she held in the highest esteem.
“I send my respectful best wishes to the chair of this occasion, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and to the guests of honour, Chief Arthur Mbanefo, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and General Ike Nwachukwu, all of whom are sources of inspiration to my generation of Nigerians.
“I hope that Chief Okeke’s book will find the wide audience that it deserves, “she concluded.
In another development, investigation reveals that a good number of the Commissioners of Police across Nigeria are of the South West extraction.
A source that could be further confirmed informed that the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police is Ogundare Dare Emmanuel; Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Adelesi Oluwarotimi; Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Adebola Hamzat; Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Faleye Olayele.
Others are Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Idowu Omohuwa; Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Asabi; Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Stephen Olarewaju; Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr Aderemi Adeoye; Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr Wale Abbas; Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police; Mr Tolani Alausa; while Edo State Commissioner of Police is Mr Adamu Dankwara and Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mustapha Mohammed.
Commenting on this development, Chief Okeke asked: “Why do we have all of the South West States Police Commissioners as Yoruba, still have Yoruba as Police Commissioner in Imo, Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa and then Northern Police Commissioners in Edo and Abia?
“If we say security is local and therefore, need to have indigenes who speak the language and understand the culture of the people as their police Commissioners, why implement it for all of the Yoruba States and then bring “foreigners” to be Commissioners of Police in South East and Niger Delta States?
“If they have chosen to make locals who understand the people’s culture and language Police Commissioners, let it be effected across the thirty six States; let an Edo man be made the Police Commissioner of Edo State, let an Urhobo, Isoko or Ijaw man be made Police Commissioner in Delta, deploy Igbo Police Commissioners to Anambra, Imo and Abia. What we have here is not balanced and might even be suspicious,” he said.