IGPS who saw tomorrow (1)

The ability to foresee and plan for the days or years to come, confers on the person a spiritual  advantage and power like Nostradamus  the renowned seer of old and prophets who were privileged to see what the future holds and would look like.  These set of people were mere mortals that built themselves and dreamt of what they want to see not only from their own perspective but for the benefit of many others. When the Federal government established the police, it was to last  and develop  like the nation. Those to be opportuned to lead the institution were expected to have a vision that would translate into legacy for the upliftment of the institution.
The Nigeria police force is not devoid of such leaders.  Late Mr Sunday Adewusi  was one Inspector General of police( IGP) who saw ahead the need for the force to be strengthened and advocated  for the establishment of the Police Mobile force popularly known as ( Mopol). The department has inferred on the police a stigma of strength  and bravado that even sister security organisations are scared of their ability. The mobile force of the police is like the soldier ants  that has the raw ability to withstand any physical obstacle. Today members of that squad are referred to as “Adewusi boys” as a memorial to its founder who foresaw the need to have a para-military squad that would have the ability to face every  riotous challenges that disturbed the internal security of the country.  Unfortunately, the mobile force has become an eyesore to members of the public. It has been turned into an errand squad  for the high and mighty in the society thereby loosing its former integrity and bite.
Another IGP who foresaw the need to establish a financial institution for the police is the 8th indigenous IGP Alhaji Aliyu Atta who foresaw the need to establish a micro- finance bank. As at the time he birth the idea, those who opposed it claimed that there was no need for the police being a security organisation, to have anything doing with finance. Today, virtually every police officer has an account with the bank and according to records, the police micro- finance bank is the most buoyant and successful bank  of its cadre in the country.  Atta also  established the Police insurance scheme.
On assumption as the Inspector General of police, Alhaji lbrahim Coomassie foresaw the personnel explosion of the police force and thought of a better mordern and befitting building for the Police, he was shut down by his colleagues in the federal military council while his colleagues in the Policee doubted the possibility of such a structure describing it as  “ an extravagant venture”. Not too long,  with a strong will, a gigantic seven storey  edifice was constructed by Julius Berger construction company. Today that monumental structure is the headquarter of the Nigeria Police Force and one that has helped to glorified the Federal capital Territory ( FCT) Abuja. He was not done as he also built the  first police officers  cantonment and many other structures for the expansion of the police force in Abuja
Impressively, when in 2002, he introduced  the first  eight point agenda which included  a nation wide Operation fire -for -fire aimed at openly carrying the war  to robbers’ hide-out, his fame became well noticed. Mr Mustafa Adebayo Balogun was one of the best brains ever to lead the Nigeria Police Force.  He won the commandant all round  best student  award at the Defence  Academy college and had an second class upper  division from the law school. No wonder his sound intellect helped him to articulate sound policies for the police. Among his legacies are the establishment  of the police computer information technology training college in Abeokuta. He also built barracks in most states of the country.  He extended the police micro – finance bank to other states of the federation. Mr. Tafa Balogun came up with the novel idea to despatch some senior police officers to some foreign countries  for a train -the -trainer programme in the art of community policing. Many openly discarded  and disparaged the idea arguing that the country was not ripe for such an innovation. It  was said at the time that he was wasting the meager resources of the police adding that, it was a ploy to send his  officer friends abroad for six whole months. Today, Tafa Balogun, has been vindicated despite being one  of the most celebrated IGP amongst  all the ranks, his Ideas have continued to resonate and being implemented as the only better alternative to good policing in the country. Tafa , it was who first carried out a massive promotion of all the ranks  and file including officers especially those whose ranks were stalked and whole have triggered police unrest if it was not implemented at the time.  Tafa Balogun also introduced the  first female mobile police squadron in the Nigerian Police Force .
Another name Nigerians and the security community cannot forget in a jiffy  for his style of leadership is Mike Mbama Okiro who served between 2007  and 2009 . There  are many pluses attached to his administration. Okiro foresaw the insurgency and violent militancy in the Niger-Delta  years before it emanated and sought for approval to train a fortified squad of policemen in four foreign countries including Israel, Egypt, Spain and South Africa on how to combat terrorism and violent crime which he envisaged were becoming a big concern to many countries of the world. The then National Assembly kicked against it so we’re many lslamic scholars  and the budget for its establishment was not approved. Before the police team returned, Okiro had retired and unfortunately, his successor scattered the team and  five months after his retirement, insurgency commenced  and when the Police wanted to reassemble the team, it was already too late.  He also foresaw the need to improve the marine department of the Police by acquiring more speed boats for the Marine police which were later used to fight sea pirates. He was also the brain behind the surrender of the Niger – Delta militants that resulted to the presidential Amnesty programme. Okiro it was who foresaw the need to assist serving officers own their own  accommodation just like civil servants  in Abuja and other parts of the country. Apart from these laudable projects, Okiro approved the establishment of the first  Police security newspaper: The Dawn newspaper.  He first saw the need to start the online  application  for police recruitment.
Two other IGPs that foresaw the need to overhaul the intelligence department of the police to stand the taste of time are Muhammad Dahiru Abubakar  and Solomon Arase (the wise IGP) both saw the need  for the police to be intelligence driven. MD Abubakar laid the foundation but. Arase went all the hog with the gospel  of a police driven lntelligence led policing. No wonder  Arase is popularly known as the apostle of  intelligence led policing in Nigeria.
MD Abubakar foresaw the need to have a more modernized environment and he carried out a comprehensive restructuring of the two police structures in Abuja and the mobile town in  Abuja. Abubakar also
also established the police intelligence school,  and when the police started having great numbers of casualties from the insurgency, he seized the opportunity to expand  the police medical unit and more doctors were recruited than ever before.
To be continued.

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