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Tuesday, June 5, 2007


PRESS STATEMENT



WHEN WILL AN IGBO BE
INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE?
Ninety-Three (93) years ago, the Nigerian Nation was born. Forty-Seven (47) years ago, that Nation (Nigeria) became independent of its founder, the British. Either, since birth or Independence this country has never produced an Igbo Inspector-General of Police.

You may ask, who is the Inspector-General of Police and what is his importance? He is the head, the leader and the ultimate commander of the Nigeria Police Force.

The Nigeria Police is virtually present everywhere in Nigeria – in the urban and rural areas across the country. It is the most visible to the Nigerians and non-Nigerians of all the security apparatii of the country. But the leadership of this Force has consciously or deliberately eluded the Igbos who constitute one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Let us look at the roll call of the indigenous occupants of the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria from Independence to date, a period of forty-seven (47) years. They are:-

  • Louis Edet from 1st April, 1964 to 31st August, 1966
  • Kam Salem from 1966 to 25th July, 1975
  • Mohammed Dikko Yusuf from 30th July, 1975 to 30th September, 1979
  • Adamu Suleman from 1st June, 1979 to 1981
  • Sunday Adewusi from 1st June, 1981 to 31st December, 1983
  • Etim Inyang from 1st January, 1984 to 31st October, 1986
  • Mohammed Gambo from 1st November 1986 to 31st December, 1989
  • Aliyu Ibrahim Atta from 1st January, 1990 to 1st August, 1993
  • Ibrahim Coomasie from 1st August, 1993 to 29th May, 1999
  • M. A. K. Smith from 29th May, 1999 to 6th March, 2002
  • Tafa Balogun from 6th March, 2002 to 17th July, 2005
  • Sunday Ehindero from 18th January, 2005 to 1st June, 2007
  • Mike Okiro from 1st June, 2007 to --------------
None of the thirteen (13) above is an Igbo.

I consider the exclusion of Igbos from the leadership of the Police as unfair, unjust and unconstitutional.

Firstly, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as contained in the Preamble is to establish equality and justice. This was contained in both the 1979 as well as 1999 Constitutions, a period of twenty-eight (28) years (1979-2007).

Secondly, Section 14 subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1979 which is the same as Section 14 subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provides inter alia that:-

"14(3) The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty …"

The point is that the fundamental law of the Nation has never supported since 1979 the deliberate exclusion of the Igbos from the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force because Police is an integral part of the government of the Federation.

I have ruminated over what one could attribute to this exclusion and I have found nothing justifiable. Can it be said that no Igbo amongst many qualified ones at the upper echelon of the Nigeria Police merits an appointment as the Inspector-General of Police? The answer is NO.

The next person to Sunday Ehindero who retired on Friday, 1st June, 2007 is Ogbonna Onovo who is an Igbo from Enugu State. He is a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG). If he was qualified to be a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) why should he not be qualified to be an Inspector-General of Police (IGP)? I demand an explanation from the Yar’ Adua administration.

I asked myself: the exclusion of the Igbos from the leadership of the Police since after the civil war which ended in January, 1970, could that also be the reason? As a Nigerian, who was in Nigeria after the end of the civil war, the Eastern part of Nigeria, which was the main theatre of the civil war returned to the Nigerian family. Consequently, I believe that the exclusion cannot be ostensibly attributed to the civil war. But does that exclude the psychological effect of the civil war? Only those in power can answer that question.

I am worried because I hold the unity of this country so dearly. Apart from being a lawyer, I believe that the unity of Nigeria must be taken as a religion in the sense that not only should we believe in unity, we must be seen to be doing things to promote unity. Whatever may be the reason, or non-reason for the exclusion of an Igbo from an appointment as Inspector-General of Police cannot be right and something should be done about it so that every Nigerian whatever may be his or her tribe or his or her religion is taken as a member of a united family of Nigeria.

In conclusion, I reiterate Section 14 Subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which provides inter alia that:

"14(3) The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty …."

Let wise counsel prevail.




CHIEF GANI FAWEHINMI LLD, SAN
Tuesday, June 5, 2007