The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, comes from a family of police. At least, ten of his family members are with the Nigeria Police Force. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, the Ogun State police image maker talks about the challenges of coming from a family rooted in the police force; the inner battles with his conscience and his job as a police officer, why he is not afraid of death, despite the hazards inherent in his job, among other issues. Excerpts:
You were just given an award in South Africa, what was it all about?
The award was given to some outstanding police officers and corporate bodies in Johannesburg, South Africa by a media firm, Security Watch Africa. They just recognised outstanding police officers, those with exemplary performances in their various sections or duties in the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies all over Africa. Some governors and companies in security business were given awards too. I was fortunate or left me say I was lucky to have been picked as the Best Police Public Relations Officer in Nigeria.
Why do you think you were picked for the award?
I wouldn’t know, all I know is that whatever you are doing, you should know that people are watching you. Some people are watching you for bad, some are watching you for good but this time around, people are watching what I do because I know, for them to have picked me as the Best Police Public Relations Officer in Nigeria, they must have seen what I do and I don’t need to look at people’s faces before I do what I want to do, it is just for one to be committed, one to be dedicated and make sacrifices. PR work in command, you need to make sacrifices. You give out your personal number, not your official number because people want to talk to you and you must make sure that policing is taken to the grassroots.
People will want to talk to you, even if you refer them to DPOs, Area Commanders, admin officer or whoever in the department, they will tell you that they still want to speak with Muyiwa Adejobi, the PPRO.
I have taken it upon myself, for almost five years I have been PRO in Ogun State to be giving my personal number out consistently on most of the programmes, either radio or television or any forum I find myself. People have seen this as my own style of doing the job the way it should be done.
People feel comfortable relating with me because they talk to me on issues on my line. It is not convenient my brother, I need to tell you this, people will call me at about 1:am. 2:am., 3:am. When there is an incident in the town, they will call my number rather than the control room number. If I give them control room number, they will say I don’t need control room number, after all, I have Muyiwa’s number and of course, the implication is that whatever happens to such a person, he is not going to call any operational number, he is not going to call central control room, he is going to call Muyiwa Adejobi and Muyiwa Adejobi is a human being. Muyiwa will want to sleep but Muyiwa won’t be able to sleep because I don’t put off my phone. The sacrifices I make, people have noticed it. Invite Muyiwa to any programme, Muyiwa will be there, call Muyiwa to go and attend any community meeting, Muyiwa will be there. Talk of giving information out, I don’t joke with it, talk of being well connected on the internet, I’m well connected. If there is a story, I write the story, get confirmation and approval from the CP, I send it out. If there are ssues to be discussed whether national or state, I contact the force PRO that this matter is in Ogun State and I think it is national. If he gives me the go ahead, I do it. As part of my schedule as enshrined in the police schedule of duties, I’m to get the force PRO abreast of what is happening in my command and I will continue to do this.
Your job is to manage the image of the police, how do you feel when your conscience comes in conflict with your job?
Public relations does not teach you how to lie. Public Relations is all about the truth and positive projection of image. Let me give you an instance, there was a time someone said: ‘I don’t like police because they are collecting N20’. I will be a foolish PRO to say it is not true that the police are collecting N20. Do not forget that when you are talking as a PRO, you have three or four audiences- the organisation you are working for; the public who want to hear what you are saying; your own people around you, the members of the force will want to hear what you want to say because those are the members of the force that have been alleged to be collecting money.
So the best thing that I could have said is ‘fine they are collecting money on the road; we’ve not sent them, the IG has not sent them, the Commissioner of Police has not sent them, no security man has sent them. They are on their own, but it takes two to tango. But do not encourage policemen by giving them money.
We are giving to tell the public the machinery we have put in place to stop corruption in police force. The IGP monitoring team is there. We have the X-Squad, which is there to checkmate the excesses of erring and recalcitrant police officers and men. The IGP is doing training and retraining. He is sourcing funds to do training to change the psyche of our officers and men. Why must you collect bribe? The
IG fought tooth and nail before he could put up the newly launched police Code of Conducts. We expect our men to read and digest it and behave accordingly.
Public relations does not tell you or teach you to say police do not collect N20. Public relations will tell you to say the truth.
Okay, let me put it this way, when morality comes in conflict with your job what do you do?
You just follow the law and do the right thing. We have guidelines, we have rules, and follow what the law or constitution says. That is to do your job as a policeman. There is no morality, there is no sentiment and there in no conscience, just do the right thing.
Lagos and Ogun States reportedly have the highest number of crimes. What are efforts are being made to bring them to the barest minimum?
Let us start by saying that we thank God for the kind of Inspector-General that we have. Secondly, the Commissioner of Police we have in Ogun State is very active and very lucky a man. I’m saying lucky because if robbers come to Ogun State today, they can’t operate and even if they do, in the next one week, they will be arrested. They cannot come to Ogun State and say they want to operate because it is not possible. If you have monitored the trend of arrest of criminals in the recent past, like the arrest of Godogodo; ‘Lieutenant’ Goke, the former was arrested in Lagos State, Goke was arrested in Ogun State by men of Ogun State Command. We are using our men to harness resources around us to jump on these guys. Our intelligence gathering is excellent for now. As we speak, just last night (a night preceding this interview), five robbers were arrested. They wanted to come to Ogun State to attack an ATM machine and cold rooms because they knew they could not attack our banks. They went where they could access liquid cash- bureau the change, petrol stations.
Two weeks ago, we arrested a syndicate that was coming to attack a bureau de change. They had not even struck before we got them arrested.
Residents of Ogun State feel more comfortable sharing information with us because we are now accessible. People say police in Ogun State now say ‘sir, sir’ to their civilian counterparts. The ‘sir, sir’ syndrome is what we need to do all over Nigeria as they do in Ogun State. I cannot, for the reason of effecting an arrest for breach of traffic offence would want to brutalise you.
Do you sometimes get scared or feel that you could be killed?
Something must kill a man. Why should I feel threatened? Somebody was telling me sometime ago that ‘the the way you talk, the way you condemn robbers, as a public relations officer, will they not come after your life?’ I said no. All I know is that the people your are serving, their spirit, their creator will defend you. Don’t be wicked, be nice to people, people will begin to pray for you, prayers work a lot. So by the time people pray for you, you are upright, you are reasonable, you are not in any dirty engagements, you do not send arms to robbers, you do not connive with robbers, you do not connive with land grabbers, you do not support injustice. All these things will come together to act as a buffer against any attack on you. So, I’m not afraid of anything, I know there is God and above all, somebody must learn how to pray. If you pray to God, He will defend you. I’m not afraid of anything, not even death. Of course, something must a kill a man.
There was a time vigilante groups like the OPC were outlawed, but they are now everywhere purportedly providing security. How has the effort of these outfits complemented the work of police?
I’m not aware of the operation of the OPC. I do not relate with them. For instance, here in ogun State, I do not relate with OPC. These vigilance groups are so many in the state that we had to e harmonise them to Vigilance Service of Ogun State. It was launched by the Ogun State government. There has been support from Ogun State government to them in terms of provision of vehicles.
Despite your prospects in the force, your people are dragging you to become an Oba. What do make of this?
The Owu people came seeking me. Initially, I rejected their entreaty. I became a cadet ASP in 2005. I have just spent seven years and I still have 16 or 20 years. I am already a DSP. By the time I put in 35 years in the police force, I should be a much senior police officer in Nigeria. Initially, I rejected it, but there have been a series of warnings coming that ‘if they have come to look for you to become an Oba, do not reject it. Even the police will not reject it. You see, most of the Obas are either retired police officers. I was told that a retired police became a king in Kogi and the Nigeria Police celebrated him. And that is what police will do for me. Being a police man and becoming a king after retirement is something ennobling. It will help you put a good security structure in place he knows the right thing to do, he will have internal security for his own domain. So, becoming an Oba is divine. There is nothing I can do about that, but for now, I have not been appointed. I’m still going to face my job I won’t allow that to distract me. If God says I’m going to be there, I will get there.
What is the delay in choosing the new Olowu?
The problem is, when there is no justice, there will be a problem. You know that when you want to select an Oba in Yoruba land, there are some rites and consultations to be made. They have been told to pick the son of the late Oba who died in an accident. That accident was not normal, it was a spiritual attack and for peace to reign in the town, they should coronate his son. Again, after consultations with the Ifa, they said they should pick his person. The issue now is that I have police job.
My father loved Nigeria Police Force. I love the Nigeria Police force that was why I left a lucrative job for the Police Force.
You have five people in your family as police personnel. How do you relate?
My father’s nuclear family has four in the force and we have ten from the extended family.
My wife is a police officer, but junior to me. I do not expect her to be saying ‘morn sir’. When she wants to greet me in the morning, we still maintain our culture and tradition.
But when it comes to official duties, when in uniform, she must give me my compliments, even if she is going to hug me later. If I’m to visit my wife at her formation, she would call people to attention for me that I have arrived. After the official recognition, I can go ahead and hug her. My elder brother is a Superintendent of Police. When he comes around, I call people to attention, even though my brother will still call me kabiyesi. We relate well. When it is a family affairs, we relate normally.
