Why Nigerians Won’t Respect Policemen On Nigerian Streets – Gbajabiamila
Baba urged the House to create a special fund for police operations, which would allow the security outfit to respond to emergency needs.
Baba said, “In the area of funding, we are requiring and requesting your assistance to look more into our predicament. We are glaringly underfunded and there is nothing we can do without funds. I agree that you may not get what you want even in your house completely; you have to manage. We are managing what we have.”
Responding during the meeting, Gbajabiamila told the IGP the various reasons why Nigerians would not respect police officers on the streets, stating that beyond allocating of more funds and recruiting more personnel, men of the Nigeria Police Force needed a psychological approach to their duties.
“We need to know that police work has a lot to do with psychology. Why are policemen looking tattered on the streets? They wear dirty, torn uniforms and you see them in rubber slippers. So, people don’t even respect them or feel intimidated by their presence when they need to enforce the law.
“In other countries, the sight of a policeman and the gadgets he carries alone prevent crime from happening. There is immediate recognition from the appearance of a policeman,” he said
Gbajabiamila assured the IG that the House was prepared to collaborate with the force to identify its areas of need and address them through improved funding, recruitment and training.
