While the experience from COVID-19 in the advanced world has been the ground for panicking, the situation in Nigeria is apparently a much different ball game. Many Nigerians are still confused about this deadly disease that has killed over 1500 people in the Country. Another issue of concern which has bearing effects in the Country in recent time, is the subject that has to do with the directive of the Federal Government directing compulsory linkage of citizens’ National Identification Number to their mobile phone numbers or face being disconnected. The chains of reactions that have trailed the development has been a subject of popular discourse. In this interview with Matthew Dike, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Angels Guards Security Limited, Israel Asigbe, bared his mind on the aforementioned issues, while commenting on the subjects of the #ENDSARS tragedy and the state of the Nigeria Police Force. Excerpt:
What do you have to say about the #ENDSARS tragedy and the way forward for the Nigeria Police Force?
The #ENDSARS issue is supposed to be a lesson for the Police. To be honest with you, the crop of policemen we have in the Force now are not worth it. Their morale is dead. The senior officers are not doing anything to encourage them, though I am not happy about the way some hoodlums attacked, killed policemen and set many police stations, vehicles, ablaze. I condemn the actions of the hoodlums with the killings and injuries inflicted on some policemen and the setting of stations and local governments secretariat ablaze. The organizers of the protest carried out a peaceful protest. They were protesting against bad governance and at the same time making case for the police so that the government could increase their salaries. They were fighting for better pay for the police; such people wouldn’t have set police station on fire or attack the police. Now, the police are afraid to effect an arrest. The #ENDSARS protest has instilled fear in the mind of the police and that was the reason many of them in Lagos State found it difficult to effect arrest. They now want both the complainants and the suspects to come together to the station themselves.
But what’s the way forward?
The police should change their ways. Some policemen have not learnt their lessons even after the #ENDSARS incident. Inspite of that, many of them did not change their bad behaviours as I have seen many of them on the road talking to civilians rudely. They still intimidate civilians on the road but find it difficult to go to some area to make arrest. The cause of #ENDSARS is still staring at us in the face. The police authority should do something about them. Policemen have lost the courage to combat crime. They are even afraid to go out and effect arrest. The police authority and host communities must encourage the policemen so that they can work effectively. The authority and communities should talk to policemen during their Town Hall meetings. The senior officer should motivate their subordinates through lectures. We all know that what is destroying the Force today is money. Most policemen are after money instead of the job they were paid to do. Anyway, I don’t have to blame them because now if you want to join the police force as a constable, you must part with money. If you want to join the force as a cadet inspector, that will attract more money and if you have to join as a cadet assistant superintendent of police, be ready to pay a huge sum of money.
There has been reports of charges collected from citizens who want to register for the National Identity Number (NIN) coupled with the panic over the deadline issued by the Federal Government, how do you react to this?
It is very wrong. In every country in the whole wide world, no government collects money for national identification card. It is free! Some people said they paid N5, 000, while some claimed N7, 000 was collected from them. Although the Federal Government has denied collecting any money, yet, no arrest has been made so far over the touting at local government secretariats, especially in Lagos. Government said it is free. I have traveled to so many countries where I don’t even know anybody. If I go to any of the banks in those countries, the first thing they would ask me is: ‘Are you a foreigner?’ And I would say ‘yes’. They would only demand for my international passport and they would get what ever information they needed from me; after which they would hand over my passport back to me. So my passport is enough for me to open an account anywhere in the world. So, I don’t think all these are necessary. NIN is not our problem. Even if we do one million NIN, It is not our problem. What about the others we have done before? What about the Bank Verification Number and the registration with the service providers? To my own understanding, they are going to task people who have so much money in the banks and subject them to a taxable policy. There should not be deadline on the issuance of registration of National Identity Number. It is the height of insensibility. It does not make any sense to me at all. When a child gets to the age of 18-years old, he or she should go to the office responsible and get his or her National Identity card. The office is available and when a child gets to adult age, he or she will go to the office and make the request and the card will be issued to the person without all these stress.
The nonchalant attitude of many Nigerians on the issue of COVID-19 is increasing as many of the commuters and transporters have refused to wear face mask and observe social distancing of at least two metres, according to FG’s directives. What’s your take on this?
We are Africans. We are not like the whitemen. We must always think and behave like Africans. The way we do things are different from other people in other continents of the world. We cannot change who we are. All that is required is to sensitize the illiterates among us on how to avoid contracting COVID-19. Sensitizing them on how to be careful and take good care of themselves. We know that if people obey the Federal Government directive to the latter, many people are going to find it difficult. The rooms in the small shuttle buses are less than two metres; meaning that only the driver without passenger will board the vehicle. Only taxi driver will remain in his taxi without passenger and for ‘Danfo’ (public bus), probably only one passenger. But all I know is that you must wear your face mask and /or face shield; with that you are covered. The droplets will not affect you when somebody is talking. Do you know that when somebody sneezes the droplets go about 11 metres? Some people still believe that there is no COVID -19 in Nigeria. Please COVID-19 is in Nigeria and has killed many people. Even the United Nations has confirmed that. Our problem is that we don’t have database. So, we don’t have statistics of the number of deaths in Ajegunle, Mushin, Okokomaiko, among other places in Lagos, if we must tell each other the truth. I want to advice that the Federal Government should ban international flights from landing at our airports. Advanced countries with better facilities are shutting down their airports and Nigeria that has unequipped airports is still taken the risk of allowing international flights into the country. I want to also say that the NIN issue is not our problem. Population is also our least problem because our problem are Nigerians and the Nigerian government.