By Dapo Olaosebikan
On Wednesday, July 24, Sir Mike Mbama Okiro clocked 75. As usual, it was a day of joy for members of his immediate family, particularly his children and adorable grandchildren. But, as usual, they weren’t the only ones celebrating the great milestone achieved by this national icon. It includes those of us who are members of his ‘national’ family.
Knowing well that the life of Sir Mike Okiro is a huge advertisement of godliness, goodness, purposefulness and impactful service to humanity, the urge for a birthday eulogy for the 13th Nigerian Inspector-General of Police, is irresistibly tempting.
Sir Okiro’s life philosophy is that: “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquired, but in his integrity and ability to affect those around him positively”.
This epitomizes his existential being. Indeed, his life as a, leader of the Force, elder statesman, national leader of thought, intellectual, role model to thousands of his mentees and admirers and family, is pillared on integrity, ability to tirelessly affect those around him positively.
At the 2009 bowing out ceremony marking his exit from the Nigeria Police Force, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua described Okiro as “a resilient achiever who never believes in failure and who set a new dawn for the Police Force and ushered in an era of policing in a democratic Nigeria”. Of course, this is who he is!
Born in Oguta in Imo State on July 24, 1949, Okiro hailed from Egbema in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. He attended St. Michael’s Primary School, Kalabari Beach, Oguta II and St. Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala.
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During the Nigerian Civil War, the young Mike Okiro studied philosophy in St. Augustine Seminary Afaha Obong, Ikot-Ekpene (Bigard in exile), now in Akwa Ibom State.
After completing both his elementary and secondary school education, he attended the University of Ibadan where he bagged a Bachelor of Art (Hons) in English.
Having settled down as a student of the premier university, his campus life was laced with remarkable activities, Apart from being a brilliant, intelligent, resourceful and courageous student, he was very radical and has gut to challenge policies he perceived would erode the rights of fellow students. On campus, published The Bug and was the editor of his hall’s magazine, The Dome. He was a student union leader, political activist, writer, social crusader and advocate against rights abuse. He was also the editor of his departmental publication called ‘Doto’. Okiro later attended University of Lagos for a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA). To cement his erudition in law enforcement, he went further to get a degree in law (LLB) and also a Master’s degree in law, (LLM) both at the University of Jos, Plateau State. In addition, he also holds Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State and Novena University, Delta State and the University of Jos. He is an Alumnus of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (MPSS), Kuru, Jos. He joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) on August 1, 1977, shortly after completing his mandatory one-year National Youth Service programme and rose through the ranks to become the IGP in 2007.
Before this time he was the Lagos Commissioner of Police during President Bola Tinubu’s tenure as the governor of the state. In Lagos State, he made his mark as a law enforcer. In his tenure as IGP, Okiro’s strides include working toward providing a secure environment for the actualisation of president’s vision of placing Nigeria among the world’s top 20 economics by the year 2020. He conscientiously worked for the re-positioning the Nigeria police in the areas of quality training behavioural and attitudinal change, community policing and service delivery. Significantly, he improved the welfare and morale of officers and men, by enhancing upward salary package and improved logistics particularly via the owner-occupier houses. Creating a channel of communication to bridge the gap in the Police/Public divide, the philosophy that gave birth to the Force news stable, called “THE DAWN” newspaper was another legacy of Okiro.
In reinstating a number of officers who were forced into early retirement, he also made police service more open, receptive and responsive to troubled spots in the country. He expanded and upgraded the Intelligence Unit into a Department. He also established the Police Intelligence School in llorin, Kwara State. He made computer literacy in the Nigeria Police Service compulsory and built the Police ICT College in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Being the first Inspector General of Police that introduced AK47 rifles into the police force, and convincing the federal government to install CCTV cameras in Abuja and major cities to check crime and criminal activities, he initiated and drove the Amnesty Programme implemented by late President, Umar Yar’ Adua that granted the Niger Delta militants to end the restiveness and destructive agitations on the country’s economy–a fact of our national life in Nigeria that many people are not aware are not aware of.
He was also the person that brought into national consciousness the need to register all Sim-cards network of mobile telephone users in the country, in a bid to aid security agencies to checkmate breaches in the nation’s security programme. He introduced the Anti-Terrorism Squad as a separate unit for the Nigeria Police Force and also sponsored the Anti-terrorism Bill at the National Assembly. He initiated and mandated the installation of close circuit cameras in all bank branches across the country. He also introduced the use of bullet proof bullion vans in the movement of cash on Nigerian roads while encouraging the use of bullet proof doors at the entrance of bank branches throughout the federation to checkmate and reduce robberies incidents.
It is also noteworthy that under Okiro, Police Housing Scheme was initiated to better the lives of officers. Undeniably, his tenure as the 13th IGP in Nigeria put the Nigeria Police Force on a comfortable pedestal in modern policing. A most detribalised Nigerian leader, Sir Okiro is a man of many parts and immense literary prowess. Also a poet, he has authored six books of different genres despite the herculean task associated with the schedules of his chosen career.