The immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has advised his successor, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to avoid engaging in acts that could bring any past occupant of that office to public ridicule.
In a reply dated December 1, 2016, Arase pointed out that he desisted from ridiculing the last two IGs before him even though he knew that they each went away with 13 and nine police vehicles respectively when leaving office.
That it was for this reason that while he was in office, he ensured that Force Order 295 was put in place to protect ex-IGs from being demeaned.
The former IGs, which Arase referred to, are Mohammed Abubakar, who retired in 2014 and
Suleiman Abba, who was sacked in April last year by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Arase had earlier dismissed his successor’s allegations that he left with two dozens of vehicles while leaving office, wondering what he would do with such number of vehicles.
Arase said rather than denigrate Abba, who he succeeded, he indeed initiated actions and bought a brand new bulletproof jeep for the sacked IG despite the fact that Abba’s administration left a debt of N28bn for him to contend with.
He urged Idris to put the integrity and honour of the Nigeria Police Force first in any action he might want to take so that the force would not be exposed to public ridicule.
Arase said:
“I expect that former occupants of the office of the Inspector-General of Police should not be demeaned. This explains why Force Order 295 was emplaced by the force management under my leadership as acknowledged in your letter in reference.
“In spite of the emplacement of this order and despite the fact that my two immediate predecessors left office with 13 and nine vehicles of different makes and models respectively, I never pressurised either of them to return any of such vehicles neither did I engage in any act that was capable of bringing them to ridicule as being done to me of late by a force I dedicated my life to serving up to the highest level.
“Rather, it is on record that I went the extra mile to source for funds and initiated actions towards purchasing a brand new bulletproof jeep for my immediate predecessor, even after his retirement from service. This was done notwithstanding the fact that I inherited and had to manage a huge debt profile of about N28bn, which limited the financial base of the force at the time.”
Among the 13 vehicles, which Arase said Abubakar took away were a BMW (7 series) bulletproof car; and two Toyota Land Cruiser V8 bulletproof jeeps.
According to him, Abba also took away a Toyota Land Cruiser bulletproof jeep and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado jeep along with seven other vehicles.
Arase said God had blessed him so much and he was contended to the point that he would willingly surrender “all my vehicular entitlements even as contained in the Revised Force Order 295 in the overriding interest of the force and in the sustenance of the legacy of comradeship between an incumbent IGP and his predecessor.”
He said he decided to delay in returning the vehicles, which Idris alleged he took away, as a form of protest against the “unfair, untidy and demeaning approach the matter was handled until now.”
Arase, however, said he harboured no animosity towards Idris and encouraged him to feel free to approach him for advice, just as his predecessors did to him.
Source: The Punch
This has been a historical over-indulgent culture in Nigeria, not just in the police but in various other institutions,ministries,politics and other governmental departments. It symptomises unbridled, irresponsible larceny and abuse of position. Resources procured for the use of any government institutions are subject of national properties and not to be removed or tampered by any personnel once their service terminate, irrespective of rank or official status. Nevertheless, if there should be such consideration to concede part of national property to any post holder then a prudent offer is the only reasonable concession, as an appreciation of good service rendered. Problem with Nigeria is that a culture has been created which grants unfettered autonomy to public service agents to treat national property as their personal possession. In the real world, what you personally saved up to as a position holder is only yours, meritocracy plays a role where you have demonstrated excellence in your job role. It’s about time people in public offices come to realise that their tenure is their tenure and only what has been included in their employment contract can be granted, and not to create a self-serving clause such as departing from service with whatever procured resources during their tenure – that is theft-as-usual.
Any surprise why the Nigerian Police is in such a mess? A former IG is bold enough to offend the sensibilities of Nigerians by claiming to hold on to public properties (24 cars?) because his predecessors took away similar cars and he did nothng, and even went ahead to buy a bullet proof jeep for one of them! Impunity probabaly has no limitation in his lexicon. Who knows how many cars retired State Commissioners of Police take away from a Force claiming to perpetually suffer from paucicity of funds? What’s going on here and who will deliver our dear nation, Nigeria? Thinks it’s time the anti-corruption agencies beam their light in this type of impunity that may be rampant in other sectors of the Niegrian public life as well. Kudos to the new IG as he attempts to right this wrong done by his erstwhile predecessor.
Man o man…! What the hell are we doing…? Let’s all join any kind of federal force or enforcement and when we leave, we’d all be rewarded with perks, entitlements, and no prosecutions of any sorts, even when it’s obvious we have committed embezzlements.
Nigeria is a cesspool of corruption and impunity.
Is the president’s anti corruption gang listening and taking note of all these?
Cash Ezimako