Please learn from Baba Onikeke (Bicycle) at Labo Area, Ibadan.
When you rent out your men to people & organisations, do you give your clients any handbook on client-police service ethics of engagement for them to know they can’t ridicule the policemen beyond certain level if they must ridicule them at all?
Ordinarily, when you rent a bicycle from Baba Onikeke, he will give you the rules and regulations of rental.. I remember quite well the Baba Onikeke in Labo – Oja Agbo axis of Ibadan land where we, as students, used to rent bicycle (Keke) in the 70s. The old grey haired man with a set of variegated teeth and always in perforated singlet, used to give us his code of engagement before giving out his bicycles to us to ride. Of course, many of us didn’t comply with his rules particularly the ones that say we should not sublet his bicycle to others, time regulation, and not to damage his bicycle. He’s so selfish never to bother about damaging ourselves, which happened regularly.. The man wouldn’t give any notorious defaulter of his rules his bicycle to ride again except you come through a proxy and you enjoy the ride together.
The IGP and the Police Commands in federal and states should learn something worthwhile about ethics of engagement from this Baba Onikeke’s attitude to his Keke Rental Business. Bicycle is a non living machine, how much more human beings like policemen rented out to organisations and individuals of different characters. These policemen are human beings, many of them are family men and women, husbands and fathers and mothers who deserve respect and dignity too. Renting them out should not make them subhumans.
You need to protect them when they are on rentage on “any other duties as assigned”. You don’t expect a policeman rented out by his DPO, AC, DIG AIG or IGP to resist maltreatment by his new Oga or company he’s serving. He dares not or else he is withdrawn and punished. It’s the police command that MUST protect its officers on rentage.
We have seen instances of police cleaning shoes of politicians, carrying bags for Oga madam, serving food at parties, opening door for vips who they are rented to as if the vips are lame. A female policewoman was once seen on social media standing behind a bride as the bride was dancing and enjoying herself at her engagement party. I asked myself when I saw the nonsense going on, , “se won tun fe ji bride gbe ni or what is she protecting” (do they want to kidnap the bride or what is she protecting). You see policemen cheaply at films premiere nowadays, following celebrities and “yeyebrites” like Zombies” at dance floor. For what purpose? Somebody is dancing, you are not dancing, just to be following her like a zombie. It’s absurd and stupid.
Every yahoo yahoo big boy in town has many police as orderly, car door opener, shoe shinner, body guards. Same with criminal “Omo Onile”, accredited political thugs, “Up National” notorious leaders, Keke Marwa and Okada rider leaders. These are eyesore and very embarrassing..
The Chinese – MOPOL Naira Handout Skit.
Punishing the policemen involved in the trending Chinese – MOPOL “Skit” where stipends or bribe were given to policemen on camera is mere scratching the surface just for PR purposes. This happens everyday and everywheree including on our roads where unscrupulous armed policemen collect bribe openly . But why do you not punish the Chinese guys giving out money in such a ridiculous way? You guys are always punishing the ridiculed police and spare those vips who ridiculed them, ridiculed the entire police force and Nigeria? The least expected from the police Hq is to withdraw the services of their men rented out to the Chinese guys to serve as deterrent to others who see policemen attached to them as part of their costume for feferity.
We can see that the Chinese guys are enjoying the “tourist attraction” that looked like a memorable skit to them because such a thing is never possible in their country. Punish them too and others like them. . Police deserve regular good training, living wage, to be well kitted and observe service displine everytime. And when they are rented out, they also deserve a percentage of any fees collected for their job.
By the way, why can’t these abused policemen on rentage be withdrawn as every IG always promised at inception but always failed to implement the cancelation of the police rental business. These guys can afford the services of private security guards and bodyguards.
Please leave human rental business for accredited private security organizations. Let police face their primary duty of law enforcement, security of lives and property of citizens who are slaughtered daily by terrorists /bandits like Obasanjo chickens at his farm.
Adeola Soetan
08037207856
