Anambra Police Command: Letter to Inspector General of Police by Polycarp Onwubiko

It is very sad that one would to resort to an otherwise unconventional medium to reach the apex authority of the law enforcement agency; Inspector General of Police [IGP] to resolve a simple problem in Anambra state which the past or present Governor could have done if they really appreciate the art and craft of governance. It is very lamentable to take this line of action to once more draw the attention of the governor of Anambra state Dr. Willy Obiano to do the needful so as to hearken to the cries of the people to solve a nagging problem spitefully created due to the brazen impunity and gross abuse of public office by the former Anmbra state commissioner of police.  This open letter to the IGP could not have been called for if the political leadership in Anambra state really knows what goodgovernance is all about.
 Similar frustrating observations in the country compelled an exasperated public affairs commentator writing on the silly annual ritual of celebrating Nigeria flag independence on every 1st of October to refer to Nigeria as anational embarrassment and a continental disaster due to lack good governance.
A commissioner of police posted to Anambra state during Peter Obi administration ignored the collective well-being of the people and without discussing with the Governor closed a lane of the Zik’s avenue that gulped multi-billion naira to reconstruct. The portion closed was adjacent to the office of commissioner of police to commercial vehicles but entirely closed to all vehicles at 5 pm and opened at 7 am. The purported reason given as public outrage swelled was that the commissioner of police was naively shielding his office from Boko Haram bombs. The aggrieved public questioned the rationale on the ground that  there other police office and security agencies offices; like a police office  a stone-throw up along the same Zik’s Avenuewhich was not closed to traffic to shield the men and officers from Boko Haram bombs; again the roads to the premises of the Department of Security Services [DSS] at the back of the office of the commissioner’s office, another police office at the back of the state prisons and the state prisons itselfwere not closed to traffic to shield the men and the officers to Boko Haram bombs.
The agonizing consequences of the closure of the lane was that traffic was diverted to the very narrow road to Nibo/ Awka south local government headquarters down to the state prisons and rejoining the Zik’s Avenue. Being very narrow, trailers articulated vehicles, tippers and oil tankers get stuck or are at pains to negotiate the narrow bending to rejoin Zik’s Avenue. Accidents occur with death and injuries as passengers have no space to stand and wait for vehicles to board enroute to Nibo and other places. Due to crass negligence of the collective wellbeing of the people, the Governor erected a demarcationon the same narrow road to Nibo tocreate ‘special’ lane probably to ‘beautify’ the entry to the temporary Governor’s lodge. The grossly selfish action created grave traffic miasma along Nibo road and subjected passengers to mortal danger as accidents always occur at the Nibo/Awka south local government headquarters junction. This is the typeof Governors presiding over the affairs of Anambra state; and God willing, a populist Governor will emerge come 2018 to demolish the demarcation on the Nibo road.  Building a permanent Government lodge had been on the drawing board since August 1991;24 years after the new Anambra state was created. Every year, millions of naira are squandered in celebrating the creation of the state, even as toilets cannot be flushed in the Government since there is no pipe-born water in the capital city, Awka. In the Government  House, grasses overwhelm the premises with craters and dilapidated culverts on the roads to the offices and; and reasonable Ndi Anambra wonder what is being lavishly celebrated? Governance in Anambra state has all along been make-believe and woeful lack of knowledge on priority setting.
The police commissioner was unperturbed by the disaster reported at the Nibo/ Awka south local government headquarters road junction probably since he has the stereotype that Igbo people were conquered in the Nigeria-Biafra war and has no say when any patently irrational federal public officer could afford to commit any atrocity in the name of official duty.
Apparently incensed by the gross irrational and irresponsible act of the police commissioner, some populist-minded members of the Anambra state House of Assembly expressed strong disapproval against the closure of the multi-billion naira road which the former people-oriented GovernorDr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, OON, Onwa initiated and adequately made financial provision for the completion before he left office, passed a Resolution, calling Governor Peter Obi to liaise with the commissioner of police to remove the check-point and re-open the closed lane of Zik’s Avenue to traffic since Anambra state was not vulnerable to the supposed Boko Haram bombs.
The Governor being not accustomed to appreciating feed-backsand constructive criticisms on his crude style of governance; sneeringly and naively perceived the legislators as toothless bulldog with alleged mindset of being a rubber-stamp withvoracious appetite for having their palms greased whenever he wanted his biddings carried out irrespective of the collective interest of the people and eventuallyignored their call. He also never wanted anything that would make the police commissioner not to be obliging him whatsoever he would want in ruling the state as he wanted. Sadly, due to devalued attitude to governance in the country, the legislators refrained from taking the matter further by confronting the commissioner of police; and if need be, mobilizing the people to demonstrate against the grossly irresponsible action of the commissioner of police. It is sad that prominent people in the state felt helpless about the highly provocative issue. The letter dated 14thJanuary sent to the traditional rulers council to appeal to the Governor to prevail on the present Commissioner of Police to remove the check-point on the lane was ignored. Probably it might be due to their disenchantment with the state government as one of the royal fathers was reported to have expressed grievance that they are hungry as the #120,000.00 stipends to them is nothing ti write home about.
When Governor Willy Obiano took over, this writer in a letter dated 27th October,2014 apprised him of the deplorable state of affair and appealed to him to liaise with police boss to remove the unnecessary check-point; but like his predecessor [government of continuity], the matter was not looked into. It was later that it became apparent that he, like his predecessor does not read mails; they are shifted to the principal secretary or permanent secretary en-route to commissioners where they are dumped. This primitive style of governance is quite unlike the civilized style of governance of Governor Chris Ngige who reads all letters, even from truck pushers and commercial motor- cycle operators; and with his read pen direct officers concerned to take action and give him feed-back; that is people who are prepared for the rigors of public office and not pretenders.
Not relenting, I had to petition the former IGP but the impunity in government in the entire country did not get me anywhere. In civilized countries where public officers appreciate what petitions are, replies are taken for granted. When the new IGP was appointed, I wrote a letter dated 5th December, 2015 with the previous letter attached.In July when I wanted to write a reminder, I heard news in the state radio station [ABS] that the closed lane of the Zik’s Avenue had been re-opened to all vehicles.But when I went there, behold  it was a ruse. Commercial vehicles and tri-cyclists interviewed said that they were very happy when they heard the news of the reopening of the lane but when they wanted to drive through the lane, they arrested and mercilessly beaten up by the police at the check-point.
Due to lackadaisical attitude of reporters in not following up assignments to ascertain if the issue being reported earlier has been resolved, the radio station reputation was smirched. The at police at the check point left the impression that they are at liberty to do whatever they fancy irrespective of the radio announcement. This is akin to the mouthed proclamation that bail from police custody is free and road blocks prohibited onthe Nigerian roads. The reporter ought to have gone to the source of his news and complained that the lane has not really been reopened to commercial vehicles; and the impunity continued, even as police men and visitors convert a part of the lane as parking lot. The worst thing is that the uncaring state government worsened the traffic hold-up at the Nibo/Zik’s avenue junction by thoughtlessly and naively erecting traffic light which is not only a stone-throw the round-about but a security risk to the office of the commissioner of police as vehicles line up directly in front of the office when the red light is on. The police officers interviewed bitterly condemn the traffic light; and the feed-back to the Governor by this writer was as usual ignored. Good governance taken to the dogs indeed!
 The IGP is passionately appealed to hearken to the lamentations of the people abandoned by their Governor and direct that the police post/check-point [Cubicle] in the lane should be removed immediately and the parking lot cleared. The police men standing at the check-point should go inside the office and be gainfully deployed. They have virtually no business standing on the lane since no such idleness is observed in other police stations in the capital city. The lives of the police men at the office of the police commissioner are not superior to that of other police stations in Awka with the supposed Boko Haram bomb. It is just crude and primitive display of power by the former police boss and retained by his successors which is never seen in any other capital city in the country.
Mr Onwubiko is an author and public affairs analyst,[email protected], Awka, Anambra state