Suswam’s Unwise Take on State Police

Anthony Kila, Director, Centre for International and Advanced Professional Studies berates former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam for his opinion against state policing

Dear Senator Gabriel Suswam,

You recently made headlines for your contributions to the debate and reflections on state policing in Nigeria. Going by what the newspapers reported, it would appear that you are against state policing in Nigeria because you do not trust governors to manage such force and because such process and practice will lead into the disintegration of Nigeria. To buttress your point, you even went down to your personal memory lane to remind us that even in your glorious and momentous years as governor, you were against state policing.

In your own your words: “The proposal in the constitution for amendment is that governors will appoint Commissioners of Police, and I can’t be party to that because I know the implication for that. That will be recipe for complete disintegration of the country, except we want that. Because as a governor there is no way you will come to my state and misbehave and I won’t charge you for nuisance and put you in jail. And when it comes to election, you know that I can appoint a Commissioner of Police. My mother can be Commissioner of Police, my cousins will be the DPOs here and there, and my lackeys can be in positions; so anywhere somebody is my opponent politically, that person is gone. So, we can’t practice state police.

Given what is going in various parts of the country and across the world, your words and position stirred more than a few thoughts and reflections in me and one of the immediate thoughts that came to mind is that whilst we generally clamour for and defend the freedom and courage to express our thoughts and those of others, two things we fail to insist on are one side, the need for such thoughts to be deep, constructive and accountable and on the other, the wisdom to keep quiet in some circumstances: The famous moment when silence is gold.

One of the many newspapers that reported your position headlined it as “Suswam Kicks Against State Police” in my personal current condition of just recovering from a painful loss via penalties as well as the consequent behavior and utterances of a handful of loudmouthed, shallow, uncouth, self-serving, bigoted and vexatious football fans loosely defined as racists. My thought, when I saw that headline was “Suswam Kicks Penalty into Throw-in.”

Dear Senator Suswam, I have some information for you and there is no milder way to put it: Your words and opinion, on this issue of state policing, are neither worthy of your profile nor of your public position, rather it is an indictment on both.

Your views came across as rather archaic, out of touch, pedestrian, fatalistic and submissive. That is bad enough, but things get worse when one factors in that you were as a former Governor and sitting Senator from Benue State.

The quest for state policing is neither a whim nor a desire of some to amass power. It is a necessity generated out of the need to address the issue of security crises rocking practically the whole country and inefficient policing that the centralized system Nigeria has practiced thus far has not been able to successfully address. Any simpleton can be allowed to say that he or she is against state policing because it might lead to abuse of power by state governors but not someone elected and paid to lead and represent his people.

A citizen can, out fear of nepotism or unfair advantage, privately opine that state governors might nominate their friends and families as police commissioners, but an elected officer holder cannot and must not be allowed to do publicly do such. A governor or senator must be seen to and must in truth and in practice be working to curb ways that will allow any form of abuse, nepotism or corruption. Political leaders are elected, nominated, charged and expected to find solutions by having innovative ideas, building institutions and ensuring processes that will protect country and uplift people.

When we fear that governors might abuse state policing, what guarantees do we have that the Inspector General of Police or the President cannot, will not and does not abuse national policing? If you have such guarantees, please have a change of heart: Support state policing and insist that the same mechanism that gives us such guarantees with the IG and President be extended to governors.

You were born in 1964, it is therefore correct to observe that as a young man who in such a relatively short time on this earth has gotten so much in life and from Nigeria and thanks to Benue, it is legitimate that you defend the integrity of Nigeria, it matters not whether you do so out of interest or conviction, I defend your right to defend the integrity of Nigeria. As an elected leader however, you are not allowed to be paranoid. Your duty is to convincingly, coherently and cogently represent the yearnings of your people. You also have the important duty of proffering solutions that will dissuade those tired of Nigeria to start loving and wanting Nigeria again. The way to do such is to talk about and focus on working on security, justice and prosperity through provision of opportunity, not by disseminating fear and doubt against progress and modernity.

You say “Nigeria should not compare itself with developed countries on the issue of state police as those countries had gone past where we are today. We’ve to wait until we are mature enough for state police…”
Dear Senator, please speak for yourself. You and some Nigerian politicians that reason like you might not be mature enough for state policing but we the people are more than mature for it.

QUOTE

As a young man who in such a relatively short time on this earth has gotten so much in life and from Nigeria and thanks to Benue, it is legitimate that you defend the integrity of Nigeria, it matters not whether you do so out of interest or conviction. As an elected leader, you are not allowed to be paranoid. Your duty is to convincingly, coherently and cogently represent the yearnings of your people.