Should Nigerian Police In Uniform Really Be Respected, PPRO?  

We see the sweet-mouthed Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi knows a lot. So much that he knows all laws appropriate to every act at any given time.

If you’re a keen follower of the royalty on Twitter, you’ll know he is smart to appropriately define an offence when spotted through attention drawn or personal findings. He is also the grand of knowledge, one brand of police laws who knows how to accord each to each act, socially-written penalties of any heinous acts that crosses his lane. He doesn’t spare one.

When the social media was rightly coloured with policemen searching anyone on roads, he said it is unlawful and has been banned, although the search continues, unlawfully. Even, when the issue of tinted windshields erupted, it was the Olumuyiwa on his Twitter page, explaining how this has been discussed and nullified. He has said many more like this that cannot be counted. He has this penchant for Twitter and which makes him and the microblogging platform, inseparable. 

But over time as humans are inherent to err; Olumuyiwa was not also betrayed by this nature. Being a human, it became incumbent to him to commit fatal errors. And one of the errors was when he recently said Police in Uniforms must be respected. He added that when they slapped civilians in uniform, civilians should never retaliate. It is amazing that despite all his knowledge of laws and ethics, it is Amazing that he doesn’t know the book of humanity, the art of respect and the craft of leadership. Perhaps, he needs to read Dale Carnegie; How to win friends… or one of John C. Maxwells Leadership books. 

Take love, the truth is it is not a crime to be respected as Police officers— fellow human beings like us who have sworn to protect us—citizens—at all cost even with their lives. Say, we should prostrate always, we will. But we may not be able to because the nigerian police have not put themselves in the position to be respected. And man will never respect what is not what to be respected. Respect is the value given out. Value is essential to humans. If you’re given a value (respect), it is only because you’ve also reciprocated the same. This is why the English said respect is reciprocal, like the laws of karma, if you don’t give it, you’ll not receive it, and vice versa. This is what we want the police public relations officer to know.  

He needed to understand that respect can not be ordered for, it is given to whom it is due, freely. For Nigerian police, respect from citizens is a fragile dream. It may never sniff reality if the police will never be purged.

It is a known fact the Nigerian Police have sold out their integrity since October 20, 2020. They have sold out their chance to be respected even years before this time and still currently doing so through an unethical collection of their regular #50 naira from transit drivers. They sold out their respect when they decided to trade public welfare for politicians and the government’s well-being. When they turned their guns against the citizens and started killing those who they ought to protect; this culminated in what made them zombies as popularised by Late Fela Anikulapo.

Tellingly, Olumuyiwa should know respect is not as daily bread under routine, respect cannot be demanded through words of mouth. It is just like a stingy elder brother asking junior ones to call him uncle because he is older. Initially, they knew they should but now that he asked for it, they may feel reluctant to acquiesce because he doesn’t deserve one. His stinginess has given him out. He shouldn’t ask, he should have worked towards doing what will accord him undemanded respect from them.

Worthy of note, the dread the Nigerian Police have done to Nigerians is so enormous so much that respecting them might be folly to many. So, PPRO should never expect an effect for his words likewise, the entire police body. 

Nevertheless, as Robert Green wrote in the 48 Laws of Power, “our sincere and honest move will cover dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people,” the onus is on the police body to refrain from these usual acts of dishonesty, lies, brutality and enmity to the citizens and replace them with love, humanity and sense of duty; only this way, they can be respected.