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Tag: Mbu

  • How to move Nigeria forward, by Mbu

    Ex-senator Matthew Mbu Jr. yesterday advised Nigerians to elect good leaders to move the nation forward.

    He said placing emphasis on probity and accountability will address the challenges facing the country.

    He said it was regretful that public office holders and politicians protect personal interest to the detriment of the country.

    Mbu Jr. spoke in Abuja during a pre-book briefing on the autobiography of his father, the late Minister of Foreign Affairs, Matthew Mbu.

    He said the ex-Foreign Affairs minister served the nation without blemish.

    “A great man who served in a sensitive position in Nigeria once told me not to kill myself for anything called Nigeria because it doesn’t exist and I was touched coming from such a person and given the position that he occupied.

    “He said at best, you can call Nigeria a conglomerate of personal interests and where bigger interest prevails over lesser ones. This should not be the case. We need to put national interest above personal desires. This was why the late United States President J.F. Kennedy said we should ask of what we can do for our nation and not what our country can do for us.”

    He said Nigerians must embrace the fight against corruption as a stepping stone to address the nation’s rot.

    “I am saying these to reflect how it used to be when my father served and how it is today. There was a time as a minister of state for Defence that my father was sent by the then Minister of Defence, Alh. Muhammadu Ribadu to overseas to purchase ship with £6.5 million at the time.

    ”My father came back with two ships  and saved £3.7 million. Can it ever happen in today’s Nigeria? Those are the questions but I know it can never happen.”

    ”My father told me that when they were to refurbish the ship, the amount he paid for the two was more than what they paid to refurbish one. When he left the ministry, one of those ships was sent for refitting at the cost of £18 million. This is the country we have found ourselves.”

    “We have to go back to how we were in the past when service to Nigeria was paramount. The love of  self has taken over everything in this country to the detriment of the nation.”

    Commenting on  the state of the country, Mbu Jr. said: “I served as a senator and when and if given opportunity, I will serve but I am sorry to say it but Nigerians of today  don’t go after those who are actually committed despite the fact that we have them.

    “We always forget the real thing.  We have great men in this country but they are never remembered. It is garbage in garbage out. If we want good stuff, then we need to put in good stuff. We have them in this country like my dad but they are always the forgotten because they don’t make noise.

    “Good stuffs don’t make noise and we Nigerians love noise makers; so much of it. If you make noise in Nigeria, you will make news but in other countries, they will call you an empty barrel. But in Nigeria, you are celebrated”, he said.

    On the asset his father left behind, he said: “I wish he left us with billions.  Our father left us with a few assets but not many.

    “Our father’s name was bigger than what he had. Going by his name, you will think he left us so much but he left us something that is greater than physical wealth. He left us with a great name which is greater than all the assets in the world.”

    Also speaking,  Reverend Father Kekong Bisong said the achievements of the former envoy were lessons to the younger generation.

    He said: “Amb. Mbu served this country with dignity and his achievements will serve as lessons to those who are called to public service. To serve with dignity is desirable and  possible. When you do that, you will legacy behind. He was incorruptible. It is still a possibility to transmit this to the younger generation,”he said.

     

     

  • Yar’Adua, Jonathan never prepared for presidency, says Mbu

    •Late minister  in autobiography: politicians need primary profession  

    FORMER Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mathew Mbu has revealed in his autobiography that ex-Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan did not prepare for presidency, leading to their failure to perform in office.

    He said it was unfortunate that former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili, who was ready to lead the nation in 2007, lost to the “antics of a mischievous individual”.

    Mbu said Jonathan became myopic with Ijaw agenda and could not tackle corruption.

    The former minister said corruption was one of the leading reasons for the nation’s political and economic failures.

    He said politics should not be treated as a profession in Nigeria but as a vocation.

    Mbu’s views are contained in his autobiography which will be launched post-humously on April 10 in Abuja.

    The book is titled: “M.T. Mbu: Dignity in service.”

    The ex-minister, who died on February 6, 2012, had left the manuscript of his autobiography which the family decided  to publish to honour him.

    The family confirmed that the autobiography was ready for publication before he passed on.

    The excerpts said: “The South-South got recognition when I championed the South-South People Assembly. We campaigned for the presidency. It was clear to everyone that Dr. Peter Odili from the South-South zone was ready to provide leadership.

    “However, the PDP primaries of 2006 was a fiasco of internal democracy. Jonathan was made the running mate to Umaru Muas Yar’Adua in that convention. Dr. Peter Ofili, our prepared candidate was betrayed by the party hierarchy.

    “Personally, I was sick because of the antics of a mischievous individual, who had hoped that things would degenerate to a level that would lead to crisis and a declaration of a state of emergency.

    “We are all mortals, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua could not accomplish much, not just because he was sick, but also because he was not prepared for the demanding office of president. That was equally of Jonathan as vice president.

    “When Yar’Adua eventually passed the way of all mortals and an unprepared Jonathan became president, Jonathan suddenly forgot that he was the president of Nigeria and became obsessed with the Ijaw nation propaganda with a selected few. That was not the idea of the South-South presidency I championed. It does not mean a narrow agenda, rather a national service from this forgotten zone.”

    The book added: “The obsession of Jonathan with certain characters kept me away from the presidency. A Yoruba man, Olusegun Obasanjo influenced his nomination as vice president; Dora Akunyili, an Igbo woman, intervened in the Federal Executive Council for the transfer of power to Jonathan. Pastor Tunde Bakare of Save Nigeria Group, made the Senate headed by someone from the Middle Belt, to initiate the doctrine of necessity. So, why the obsession with a myopic agenda based on Ijaw propaganda?

    “I deliberately wanted to stay away from the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. In the game of politics, you only engage in exclusion when you fail to fight for your rights. Jonathan was excluding himself and his presidency was heading for precipice. He needed to reorganise himself and strategise. Politics is not a charity, if you fight for what is your right, and you cannot protect it, it will be taken from you.”

    But Mbu said he sent advisory to Jonathan when it was necessary in order to guide him.

    He said: “My distance from Jonathan was not complete incommunicado. I did advise him to properly articulate his agenda and reduce the bogus listed items to three: (1) free and fair election, (2) security and (3) reduce the quantum of corruption that is visible within the corridors of power.

    “If these are achieved, Nigerians in their ingenuity will fashion out the rest in no time. I proposed this to him because these are intrinsically democratic dividends. No other system of government can deliver them thoroughly with checks and balances.”

    On corruption, the ex-minister said it was behind the nation’s political and economic failures.

    The excerpts said: “The second point I proposed to the administration of Jonathan to be tackled immediately was corruption. Corruption is one of the leading reasons for the ongoing political and economic failures. In our active days, corruption like it is today, never existed. In broad terms, corruption is the abuse of public office for private gains.”

    He said politics should not be treated as a profession in Nigeria but as a vocation.

    Mbu said: “Politics to me, is not a profession, it is a vocation… I have always maintained that all those who aspire to elected public offices need a primary profession. Most of the time I served in public offices, I did return to my profession as a lawyer.

    “So, I cannot comprehend why someone will claim politics as a profession and accept being introduced as a politician. If you are called to serve, do not abandon your profession, whatever it is.

    “Politics is always there for you; it is not a profession, it is a calling, if you want to go into it.

     

     

  • Why we honoured Mbu, by Cross River youths

    Why we honoured Mbu, by Cross River youths

    He is not the first senior police officer nor security personnel to have retired from service in Etung Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State. There are several of them but we chose to honour Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Joseph Mbu (rtd) because of his selfless contributions to the growth and development of our people.

    Those were the words of the Chairman, Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC) Etung chapter, Praise Eju, whose members held a reception in honour of Mbu for a meritorious 31 years of service to the nation through the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

    The youth had heard that the retired AIG was planning to have his thanksgiving mass at Mary, Mother of PerpetualHelp Catholic Church in his village, Abia on September 4, and decided to fix their planned reception for him on Saturday, September 3, at Etung Council headquarters in Effraya.

    Eju who extolled Mbu for being courageous and upright, stated that they chose to honour him so that young people will emulate him in their various fields of endeavour.

    “Our decision to honour him was borne out of passion. I have never met him face to face until today (Saturday). I have been watching him on television and also keeping track of his activities as a public servant. We investigated him and we are proud that he was a fine policeman. He was incorruptible and fearless.

    “Aside his role at the national stage, AIG Mbu, we discovered has helped alot of people back home. There are so many orphaned and indigent students he has trained. Without him, most of them wouldn’t have achieved anything meaningful in life. He has empowered people from his community and always strives to make them better.

    “Is he the richest man in Etung or Abia? No! There are so many richer than him but his generosity and love for his people can’t be marched. So, that was why we believed that he’s a Prophet who deserves honour in his home town. By celebrating him, we are challenging young people from our state who find themselves in position of authority to be upright so that when they leave the office, they too can be celebrated. If they don’t do well and bring disgrace to our LGA or State, we shall stone them,” said Eju.

    At the events were former Military Administrator of Kwara State, Col. P.A.M Ogar (rtd); former Secretary to the State Government  (SSG) David Achang; Local Government Area chairman, Inok Kuti; Ambassador Obase Okongor; Chairman old Ikom Local Government Area, Dr. Egbe Ayuk, and former chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Joe Ebam.

    Inok said the local government was proud to have Mbu as their son.

    “We are proud of him. He is a courageous person. He has the typical spiriit of an Etung man in him, which is doggedness, courage and excellence. My advice to younger people is that there is just no easy way to success. It is commitment, persistence, courage, and believing in that which you want. I will like the young ones to emulate his character,” he said.

  • State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    Former Commandant, Police Staff College  (PSC), Jos, Plateau State, Assistant Inspector General of Police  (AIG) Joseph Mbu (rtd) has described the call for state police as an invitation to anarchy.

    Mbu spoke at Effraya in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River  State  at the weekend at a reception held in his honour by the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC).

    According to the retired police chief, it was safer for only the Federal Government to be in control of the police than to have 38 ‘authoritarian people’ – 36 states, FCT and the Presidency.

    Mbu lamented that the police job was being hijacked by different people, urging those in authority to be aggressive in reclaiming the agency’s glory.

    He said: “The police job is being hijacked now by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Those in authority should know what to do, be aggressive about it and restore the glory of the police.

    “State police is an invitation to anarchy. It is impossible. I say so because I have been best opportuned to serve as Commissioner of Police (CP) in five states and AIG of two zones. It is better for us to have only one person who is authoritarian than to have 38. There will be anarchy.

    “It is better for the Federal Government to remain in control of the police. Then, the allocation that is given to the Governors as security vote should not be looked at as though it is their right. That money is supposed to be utilised effectively by assisting the police and other security agencies in their respective states.”

    “If such money get to the local government, the chairmen must use it to support the police. A situation where a local government chairman does not even know the DPO of his place cannot go well. Even at the state level where Governors send their SA on Security to be meeting or discussing with the Commissioner is very wrong. The Governors and the CPs must work together for better security. That is what they should do instead of canvassing splinter groups.”

    Advising young officers to shun bribery, indiscipline, Mbu said that they should embrace God and remain committed to doing good.

    “As a human being you must be determined and committed to doing the right thing. You have to do your job with passion and when you do that, God will bless you. If you want to be a courageous policeman, you must be upright.

    “Young officers have heard or read about me and so if they want to be like me, they must shun corruption and indicipline. You cannot take money and fight crime.

    “Once you take money, you are compromised. But if you remain firm and shun corruption, God has a way of compensating you. God has compensated me and I am very happy with that.

    “I decided to join the police after my NYSC. I was serving in Jos, then, they have not established the academy. I saw them and liked their uniform and that was how I went in.  I have no regrets. If given the opportunity to serve again, I will still do the things I did,” said Mbu.

  • Police sack Mbu, 20 other AIGs

    Police sack Mbu, 20 other AIGs

    As part of steps to avoid conflict in the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission (PSC)  yesterday retired the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu and 20 others.

    The affected AIGs were said to be senior to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris .

    A statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said: “The Police Service Commission has approved the retirement of 21 Assistant Inspectors General of Police who were senior to the new acting Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, before his appointment.

    The other affected AIGs are Bala A Hassan; Yahaya Garba Ardo; Irmiya F. Yarima; Danladi Y. Mshebwala; Tambari Y. Mohammed; Bala Magaji Nasarawa; Musa Abdulsalam; Adisa Bolanta;  Mohammed J. Gana; and Umaru Abubakar Manko

    Others are Lawal Tanko; Olufemi A. Adenike; Johson A Ogunsakin; Adenrele T. Shinaba; James O. Caulcrick; Olufefemi  David Ogunbayode; Edgar T. Nanakumo; Kalafite H. Adeyemi;  Patrick D. Dokumor and Sabo Ibrahim Ringim.

    The Chairman of the commission, Sir, Dr. Mike Mbama Okiro, congratulated the affected officers for their meritorious service to the nation and wished them well in their new endeavours.”

    A top source in the PSC said: “The retirement became necessary in order to avert crisis in the police hierarchy because there is no way these AIGs can be taking orders or directives from their junior.

    “This is not a new practice, the same yardstick had been applied before in the Nigeria Police.”

    It was, however, gathered that some of the AIGs were said to have had their cups full having been linked to partisan politics.

    The source added: “Most of these retired AIGs were tested officers, but we have some that had been partisan in the discharge of their duties.

    “The worst aspect is that these politically-inclined police officers have shown no sign of remorse for being used by politicians.”

    But the decision of the PSC came as a shock to some of the AIGs who were looking forward to their elevation to the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

    Another source said: “Some of these AIGs sacrificed their lives for the nation. A few of them served in the theatre of war against Boko Haram insurgency.

    “The  sudden retirement of these good hands might discourage diligence in the service. I think the PSC ought to be more tactical in its  retirement benchmarks and decisions.”

  • Thank you, Mbu

    Thank you, Mbu

    On Tuesday night, I was shocked and jumped to the stage at the Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos Island when I was announced the winner of the Alade Odunewu Prize for Columnist of the Year at the prestigious Nigerian Media Merit Awards (NMMA). It was an honour I least expected.

    Thanks to my Editor, Gbenga Omotoso, for allowing me write on this space. But I say a bigger thank you and 100 gbosas to Joseph Mbu, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police. You wonder why? I will tell you. Of the four entries I submitted for the category, the piece ‘Time to deploy Mbu to Maiduguri’, an open letter to the then Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar, was found outstanding by the Panel of Assessors led by the chairman of the Mass Communications department of the University of Lagos, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye.

    As Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mbu was law unto himself. Not even the then governor and now Minister of Transporation, Rotimi Amaechi, was too big for him to haul abuses at. So, I am thanking Mbu because he inspired the piece.

    The piece first published on January 24, last year is reproduced here for you to form your own opinion.

    As the year rolls to an end, I pray that peace shall be the lot of the Niger Delta. Never again will characters who love to promote division get the priviledge of being in positions of leadership in this region. Those who are still there wrongly will lose their seats soon.

    Please here is the award-winning piece. Enjoy:

    My dear IGP MD Abubakar,

    It is with great pleasure that I write you this letter. I am also writing with the hope that you will not see me as one of those medddlesome interlopers who will not mind their own business.

    Really, the issue at hand is my business. It is the business of all of us who wish this country well.

    Not a few told me not to bother writing you on this matter, because, as they say, your hands are tied. They say if you have your way things will not be the way they are, but that you are being controlled by powers you dare not challenge despite being the number one cop.

    I, however, told them that I will write before it is too late.

    I write about one of your officers, Joseph Mbu, who is the Rivers State Police Commissioner. Mbu is wasting away in Rivers. Sincerely, his services are not needed there. They are needed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where Boko Haram insurgents are giving the people and the government a hell of a time.

    Like Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka said last week, an officer like Mbu should not be in a peaceful environment in Rivers. He is needed where the action is and where else is action better than Maiduguri, which is the capital of insurgency in Nigeria.

    Hardly does a day pass without bombs being thrown in Borno. Life means nothing to the insurgents. An average life in the area does not look more than a chicken’s life to the insurgents. Blood looks like water and can be spilled anyhow. This is where Mbu can dsiplay his dexterity. Here he will prove his brilliance. He will show us that his training was First Class and we will all bow for his intellect. Keeping him in a place like Rivers is like asking him to separate two chickens fighting. Mbu is more than this, IGP Abubakar.

    Since he got to Rivers, Mbu has been in the news. It is either he is complaining that someone did not get a permit before holding a rally or that a permit was issue for one reason only for it to be used for another. He looks the other way when groups loyal to the Presidency hold political events and send out his attack dogs when those oppose to the Presidency hold events.

    One wonders how many cartons of tear gas carnisters have been expended in Rivers since Mbu join. There is hardly a day that his men do not have to use tear gas carnisters to disperse anti-presidency elements. Teachers who were undergoing an orientation programme were even tear-gassed and accused of attending a rally without police permit. It is believed that rubber bullets are also being deployed by Mbu to deal with the enemies. Mbu said his men fired no rubber bullets at anyone. But Senator Magnus Abe, who Mbu said he saw only once and cannot recognise, is a life example that rubber bullets were fired.

    At this juncture, I must point your attention to the fact that the situation in Rivers is a very funny one. Governor Rotimi Amaechi is called the Chief Security Officer. But the truth is Mbu is the Chief Security Officer. Or better still he performs that function on your behalf. I must also let you know what is being said about you in regard to what Mbu is doing in Rivers. They say he is acting a script you gave him on behalf of some forces in the Presidency.

    With due respect to your office, you made a mistake in posting Mbu to Rivers. Like I noted earlier that is not where he is needed. For a man who is ‘foul-mouthed’ like Mbu, he will be able to instil fear in Boko Haram insurgents. They will so fear him that they will turn in their weapons without him lifting a finger.

    Rivers does not need him and now is the time to end his reign there and take him to where his services will best be appreciated.

    Failure to rid Rivers of Mbu will be like a confirmation of the belief that this administration has no respect for the rule of law and that you are a spineless IGP, who is ready to do the biddings of the Presidency just to keep his job. But let me remind you sir, no matter what your tenure will expire one day, just like the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan too. Nothing can best confirm this to you than the pictures of former occupants of your office which occupy a prime spot in the police headquaters. If they did not leave, there will be no IGP Abubakar.

    This is a time to tell the truth about the illegal conduct of the Police in Rivers; it is uniformed gangsters, ambushing democracy. The rights and the protection guaranteed to Nigerians by the Constitution should not be taken away by the police. Any attempt to do this must be resisted. The Constitution gives Nigerians the power to associate freely without any need for police permit.

    The police in Rivers under Mbu are redefining what ‘minimum’ force means. If using rubber bullets amount to ‘minimum’ force, then IGP, I ask: what is maximum force? I guess, the use of life bullets.

    If minimum force landed Abe in hospital, maximum force would have sent him or any other person who dare query Mbu’s men to early grave?

    IGP , the police must watch it as the next general elections draw near so as not to burn the country and kill democracy. If things continue the way they are, then this country is in danger. People must be free to associate. The fact that they belong to a party opposing the president should not affect their rights to associate, discuss and advance their positions. Rights should have no affiliation.

    On behalf of CP Mbu, I end this letter with a plea: the people of Maiduguri or Bama or Damaturu in Yobe State will be glad to have this fine officer who is being wasted away in Rivers, where he is clearly not needed. He told a Senate delegation he has done so much (damage?) in Rivers. I assure him he will do better in Borno or Yobe.

    And a quick one for you sir: softly, softly.

     

  • Mbu decries decay in police training institutes

    Mbu decries decay in police training institutes

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Mbu Joseph Mbu has decried the dearth of infrastructures in police training institutes across the country.

    Mbu, who is the Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos, spoke with reporters after the graduation ceremony of Strategic Leadership and Command course two/2015 students at the weekend.

    He said: “I make bold to tell you that if we want changes, a special committee should be set up to visit all police training institutions because they are in a state of decay.

    “I have no regret saying this and I don’t care the consequences of what I am saying. Police training institutions are in a state of decay.

    ”When I came here, I know what I met on ground. This is the highest police training institution in Nigeria but it has decayed. It has been neglected.

    “There are abandoned jobs here from the Ministry of Police Affairs. There was a reform programme. Billions of naira were put into these jobs and they are all abandoned.

    “There is total decay in our training institutions. They have been neglected for a very long time. More than 20 years. We are facing infrastructural and logistics decay.

    “Officers who are here are feeding themselves. Then later, allowances are sent to them. It should not be so.

    “Before the officers come here, the Ministry of Police Affairs, which has now been collapsed, ought to make provisions and send adequate funds to the Commandant so that they can feed them well.

    Asked if contracts approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for the renovation of facilities in police training schools were not implemented, Mbu said they have been abandoned.

    “You are here now and can go round to see things for yourself. I intend to call for the details of these projects and invite the contractors to the school.

    “The projects have been abandoned. Very good plans, ideas, vision but no implementation.

    “I was once the Chairman of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Task team. These contractors need to be followed up.

    “Also they owe lot of them too.

    “So they cannot use teeth to complete the jobs. But something has to be done because training institutions are the key to the success of any organisation.

    “If you train the personnel well, they will come out well. The IG Solomon Arase is now very conscious of the things we are facing over here and he is doing something.

    “But he is also constrained. I think he is sourcing for funds to get this place and other training institutions in good shape.

    “Even the staff of the colleges should also be encouraged. Once the collages are in good shape with good directing staff, then the products of that college will come out of the study and behave well to the society,” he said.

    Mbu also tasked the graduands to be courageous and have integrity, warning them to shun unprofessional acts.

    “As senior police officers, do not allow yourself be cowed. Do not succumb to blackmail or intimidation. Defend your subordinates when they do the right things and admonish them when they do wrong,” he counselled.

  • Mbu to DCPs, ACPs: Don’t allow anyone intimidate you

    Mbu to DCPs, ACPs: Don’t allow anyone intimidate you

    The Commandant, Police Staff College, Jos, Mr Joseph Mbu, has advised police officers to remain bold and never allow anyone to harass or intimidate them.

    Mbu made this known when he addressed Deputy and Assistant Commissioners of Police, who had completed the Strategic Leadership Command Course 2 in Jos on Friday.

    “You must read your police laws and know your powers; you must ensure that you do not abuse such powers.

    “Once you know those laws, be guided by them and carry out your duties diligently without any fear; never allow anyone, especially politicians, to cajole, harass or intimidate you.’’

    Mbu described the police job as a “very difficult one’’, saying that it should be treated like an egg that would break if held too tightly, but would equally fall, if held too lightly.

    He advised the officers to behave like senior officers, pointing out that they would be treated like junior officers if they behaved like hapless junior men.

    The commandant harped on the need for hard work and integrity, saying that their service would be a “total nullity” if it was done without integrity decency, respect and discipline.

    “There is something you must always keep in your head; you’re kept there to protect the poor and the helpless; you must respect the job and strive to ensure that you do not disgrace the force.’’

    He said the efforts of the policemen were never appreciated, noting that they were usually heavily vilified for any slight mistake, while their accomplishments were never highlighted, much less rewarded.

    “We do so much for the Nigerian society; we hit back at armed robbers and recover stolen bullion vans.

    “We also engage in several battles with criminals and terrorists, but once there is one slight mistake by one officer, all our achievements become useless.

    “The media and public will hammer on only that one mistake.”

    He described the police work as the hardest in the society, and called for more funding of the force for optimal productivity.

    Mbu said that the police job was a very busy one where its personnel even forget their families in the course of their service to the nation.

    “There is always tension. Once it starts from the Inspector General, it gets down to all of us.

    “The IGP is usually faced with so many challenges and will have to do so many things at the same time.

    “But amidst all the challenges, we must trudge on. No police officer should be a coward.

    “We must look at leaders, be them politicians or anybody, and tell them the truth. We must tell the consequences of any evil deed they are mooting.

    “Sometimes, they can tell you that they are the Chief Security Officers, but it is only with that truth that you can earn your respect.’’

    He said that policemen were good people, and called for more confidence from members of the public to help the force to carry out its statutory mandate.

    The police chief lauded the officers for their commitment to the college, especially the projects they executed.

    He was particularly impressed with the three boreholes the course members sank to ease the water shortage in the college.

    “Water is essential to life; you have sewn water and you will reap a hundredfold,’’ he said.

    Earlier, ACP Sunday Odukoya, who spoke on behalf of the participants, said they sunk three boreholes and renovated the common room as parting gift for the college.

    Odukoya said that the team also purchased curtains, a television set as well as a DSTV satellite dish for the common room.

     

  • Why I’m posted to Jos, by Mbu

    Why I’m posted to Jos, by Mbu

    Assistant Inspector General of Police Joseph Mbu has said his posting to the Police Staff College, Jos as the commandant is not a demotion or a punishment as being speculated.

    He spoke yesterday on his resumption at the college in Jos.

    The commandant, who arrived the college at 11am, said: “Some said I’ve been forcefully retired. Some said I’ve been demoted. Some said my posting to Jos is a punishment.

    “These are the wishes of my detractors. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a professional police officer ready to serve anywhere I’m posted to. I will use my professional training to make a mark at my duty post.

    “Let me tell you that the Inspector-General of Police has promised that the issue of training of officers will be a priority. The IG wants to send one of his finest officers to the college so that it can be transformed in such a way to serve the training needs of police officers.

    “That was why I was posted to the college. My posting is not a punishment as my detractors intend to portray.

    “I assure everyone that soon, within the next two months, this college will witness transformation. The college has been dormant. There are people in Jos, who don’t know this college exists. This is not good enough. Now that I’m here, the impact of this college will be felt positively.

    “I’m happy and privileged to be posted to the Police College as the commandant. I will do my best to make a mark whereever I go. I don’t buy publicity, my work speaks for me whereever I go. I will make sure this college is transformed. I will cry to the IG to help the college grow.

    “I did not resume early because I was on leave. I needed to rest because I had been serving in turbulent commands. From the commissioner of Police Mobile to Oyo, from Oyo to Rivers, from Rivers to FCT, FCT to Zone 7, from Zone 7 to Lagos. So I needed to rest. Hence I went on leave. My leave ended last week and I’m resuming today.

     

     

    “I am still a policeman, I am still in service. For those who hate me, my detractors who are sponsoring negative news and articles about me, I’m still in service and I love my job. It shows everywhere I go. I always make sure I do my best. I know no other job than police. When I’m doing my job, I know no brother or sister. I don’t know wife, I don’t know friends. I do my job the way it should be done. I am proud to be a police officer.

    “I don’t compromise discipline. I will ensure the tenets of the police job are adhered to. Every police officer working here must be disciplined, he must be civil to the public, he must respect the public, but he must be very firm.”

     

     

     

  • Mbu opens SARS building

    Mbu opens SARS building

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos Mbu Joseph Mbu has opened the new Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) building.

    The building, which was, completed by former Lagos State Police Commissioner Umar Manko, has a modern cell deemed to be of international standard.

    Mbu thanked Manko for giving him the opportunity to commission the building.

    He warned that he would not hesitate to arrest those who helped the police to erect the building if they commit offence.

    The officer in charge of SARS, Peter Gana, a Superintendent of Police (SP), thanked the stakeholders for assisting to make the project a reality.

    Mbu  hailed Mbu and other senior officers for supporting him in the discharge of his duties.