A ride on the M/V. Sam Houston with a contingent of 50
Nigerian police officers on a training visit to the US
turned out exciting. Exciting for the officers, their US
trainers and the unassuming Texas-based Nigerian born oil
tycoon, Kase Lawal, who put it all together.
This Nigerian officers are rounding up a 4-week intensive
training here in the US, which will end on Tuesday, February
13, 2007, in
Houston, Texas.
As the officers, their trainers and others were gathering to
go in for the rides, groups photos were taken and
pleasantries exchanged. All this happening in Houston, where
the idea and the first practice of Community Policing
germinated under the watchful eyes of the father of
Community Policing in the US, Dr. Lee Brown, former Houston
Mayor, former Clinton Cabinet member, former police chief,
now chief trainer, of Community Policing around the world,
for want of a better title.
The 50 Nigerian police officers themselves are widely
regarded as some of the best in the Force, according to
Brown, who said he specifically asked the Inspector-General
of Police Sunday Ehindero to send me "the best of the best."
Indeed this set must represent some of the best as they are
all university graduates including some that are lawyers,
police PROs and others holding key positions in the Force.
The 50 officers were led by Assistant Police Commissioner
Ademola Omole, and they included 5 Chief Superintendent of
Police, CSP, the most senior cadre represented besides,
Omole, an ACP. The five CSPs were Eboka Friday, John Ayuba
Babangida, Ibezim Joseph Ndubuisi, Okunade Ronke Nurat and
Shamishi Samuel Aso. In all the 50 officers were on ranks
ranging from Assistant Superintendent to Deputy
Superintendent and the five Chief Superintendents.
This boat-ride was to break the monotony of classroom and
fieldwork that this contingent of officers had been
undergoing and it was also an opportunity to learn a little
bit of port management and a bit of history
First the history: The boat is named for Sam Houston,
president of
Texas, before it became a state in the US and
Governor of the state once it joined the US. It is also for
whom the main city in
Texas is named.
And then this Port of Houston is among the biggest and the
busiest in the world. With a 25-mile-long complex of
diversified public and private facilities, numbering 167,
according to Russell Whitmarsh, the Port's Police Chief. The
Port which is located close to the Gulf of Mexico, is also
ranked first in the
United States in foreign waterborne tonnage.and
second in the U.S. in total tonnage, and tenth in the world
in total tonnage.
Earlier before the photo-taking and boat ride, the officers
had taken on a tour of the security installations and
facilities at the Port and engaged in a
question-and-answer-session with the Nigerian police
officers. Whitmarsh had informed the officers that around
the Port, there are about 44 different law enforcement
agencies keeping the order of which the Port Police is just
one. This provoked a question from a Nigerian police officer
who wanted to know how well security officials from all
those 44 agencies work together without much friction.
Without a doubt this question underscored the rowdy and at
times unclear demarcation of limits of different Nigerian
security agencies especially at airports and seaports. There
have been reported incidents of SSS colliding with NDLEA,
Customs colliding with Police, etc. Whitmarsh understood the
question: We understand each other, you've got to understand
each other." He then went on to explain that all those
security agencies undertake drills and practices together,
they invite each other to participant in different
activities, at times they share same resources much that he
said many of the security officials know each other by name.
There was no magic about it.
Turf battles among law enforcement agencies however have
been reported in the US also, especially at a crime scene
that attracts several agencies. In any case, according to
their trainers, during this training visit to the US, the 50
Nigerian police officers were provided with information on
comparative law-enforcement through a detailed examination
of the American police system and the
Nigeria police system. Also, the trainees will be
exposed to state of the art practices in Community Policing
and how they relate to the culture of
Nigeria. The trainees will be provided with
information on ethical policing by focusing on Guiding
Principles, Values, and Integrity.
Another officer wanted to know whether the Houston Port
Police was independent of the Houston Police Department, to
which the answer was yes, both police agencies are
independent of each other. In
Nigeria it was mentioned then, that there is a
detachment of the Nigerian Police Force that also oversees
the Port operations. In the US alone there are thousands of
police agencies all over the place, including the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, FBI, which handles federal crimes,
but from which all other police agencies are independent. US
is one country where the concept of local control of the
local police has been well in practice.
When he joined the question and answer session at the Port,
Dr. Lee Brown, the former Mayor of Houston, who had also
been a police commissioner in three major US cities:
New York,
Atlanta and Houston lend his voice to the issue of
local control, answering a question from the reporter
whether the Houston Police as a local police force takes
orders from
Washington, DC, the seat of the US federal government
and seat of the FBI-the closest to a federal police force.
His response was an unambiguous "no," we do not take orders
from
Washington, DC, Houston police is ultimately
responsible for what happens in Houston." Brown then said
there are times local police departments call for help from
other agencies like the FBI, but they never take orders from
any federal or national government.
But the main agenda of the police training is Community
Policing. Which perhaps explains why the main two trainers
Brown and Bradford were not as keen to discuss issues of
local control of police in
Nigeria as it is done here in the US. More than any
other thing, they were keen in inculcating in the 50
Nigerian police officers a clear understanding of community
policing. Brown even once said that
Nigeria is not the only country with a national
police saying there were several countries in the world with
such unlike in the US and other truly federal governments
where police control powers lay rightly with the local
authorities.
For
Nigeria, the idea of community policing is not
entirely a new concept, according to CP. Ahmed Lateef Adio,
who could be described as the head student among the 50
officers. In a chat Adio said the idea has been practiced is
some police units in
Nigeria, especially on individual initiatives of some
officers, and in some sates but without the name given to it
formally. Indeed planners of the Training Program agreed
noting that this training "will serve to expand
Nigeria police officers’ knowledge of Community
Policing and build further upon the “experimental nature of
Community Policing in the pioneer State of Enugu since
February 2004” and five other States."
SP Adio however readily observed that for the 50 officers
who took the training, "coming here has actually as lifted
the veils that a police officer is not just a crime-fighter,
but problem solvers, we have learnt that here."
The idea of Community Policing having been birthed in
Houston, Texas by Brown has traveled far and wide
across the world, according to its proponents. It made its
way to
Nigeria recently when last July/August, Brown visited
Nigeria to conduct a workshop on Community Policing
and as the Inspector-General of Police Sunday Ehindero
endorsing the scheme as a philosophy guiding police practice
in the country. The design of the training is therefore also
to complement the
Nigeria Police Force’s ongoing efforts to move toward
making Community Policing its dominant style for enforcing
the law and meeting the needs of the people of
Nigeria.
Before that, Brown disclosed that it all started in 1999
when he visited
Nigeria as a Mayor on a trade mission and then two
years after President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Houston on
Brown's invitation in 2003. Said Brown "We talked to him
about Community Policing and he wanted me to come to
Nigeria to help the
Nigeria Police Force."
Community Policing, by definition, according to a statement
by the Brown Group International, led by Dr. Brown, "
recognizes the value of the police and community working
together in the interest of controlling crime and disorder."
It added that "the
Nigeria Police Force recognizes that to successfully
make the transition from Traditional Policing to Community
Policing, its members must be properly trained. To that end,
Inspector General Ehindero requested Brown Group
International (BGI) to conduct a training session on
Community Policing for fifty members of the
Nigeria Police Force." To facilitate the training,
MacArthur Foundation of the US accepted to sponsor 20 of the
50 officers, while the NPF on its own sponsored the 30, even
if the NPF's other projects must suffer, according to CP.
Adio who stressed that the training was considered very
important by the IG and so the IG insisted that as many
officers should come when the initial plan was only for 20
students.
BGI, a full-service consulting firm providing solutions to
problems of government and businesses, conducted the
training in Houston. The training program includes "a
comprehensive and integrated plan that utilizes both
classroom and field activities" and provides the 50 trainees
with a comprehensive understanding of Community Policing as
a new philosophy for delivering police services to the
country of
Nigeria.
BGI personnel who were involved in impacting the knowledge
to the 50
Nigeria Police officers "have particular expertise in
the areas of public safety, training, crime prevention and
control, homeland security, drug policy, business continuity
and disaster recovery, technology, personnel and management,
crisis management, and program evaluation." Some of the BGI
trainers have been police chiefs, current public policy
experts, researchers, trainers, educators, information
technology and communications specialists, drug policy
specialists, conflict resolution experts, community
organization specialists, computer security specialists,
personnel and management specialists, urban planners, and
crime prevention and control specialists.
The students attested to the expertise of their trainers
with their bubbling enthusiasm as they interacted with their
trainers on the boat ride and after. One of then, a female
officer, SP Mercy Ifeoma said she was looking forward to
applying the skills she has learnt on return home. She added
that the training for the 50 officers involved their
participation by observation on Houston Police outdoor
activities attending to emergency calls and not just
classroom training. Another Police Officer DSP Akande
Tajudeen added that it was refreshing to observe US police
officers in action.
It is the intent of the trainers that upon completion of the
program, the 50 trainees are expected to have "a working
knowledge of Community Policing and its application" to
Nigeria. Many of the students agreed, but some of
them pleading for anonymity expressed some legitimate
concerns. They said there worry was based on some of the
things they saw here in observing the Houston City police
officers. That was the use of up-to-date communication
equipments. They expressed concern that if this was not
provided it would be tough implementing many of the ideas
that they have learnt on the concept of Community Policing
BGI Chairman and CEO, Dr. Lee P. Brown, and other BGI
Associates have managed large complex organizations, served
as consultants to numerous police departments, and been
involved in training police officers, developing crime
prevention, community awareness, delinquency prevention and
youth participation programs. Also, they have been involved
in training, counseling, and mentoring officers in police
departments confronting many of the same issues facing
Nigeria today.
For instance Dr. Lee P. Brown, according to BGI statement
"is known throughout the world as the “father” of Community
Policing." He pioneered the concept when he served as Police
Chief in Houston,
Texas and Police Commissioner of the
New York City Police Department, two of the four
largest cities in the US. It was Brown, when he serving as
Police Commissioner of
New York City under Mayor David Dinkins, that
developed the “Safe Streets: Safe City” program that was the
beginning of the most drastic reduction of crime in the
history of
New York City, that was then very notoriously known
for its high crime levels.
Brown was also a a member of the
United States President’s Cabinet, during the
Administration of President Bill Clinton, where he was the
Drug Czar, in his capacity as the Director of
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
and. Then he was instrumental in guiding legislation that
created the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) in the
United States Department of Justice. That program is
dedicated to promoting and advancing community policing in
the
United States. Based on the model that Brown
pioneered, over 80 percent of the cities in America have
adopted the concept in one form or another, an evidence that
Community Policing is a proven and effective concept in
providing safety services.
Brown's colleague and prominent associate on the training
was former Houston Police Chief C.O. "Brad" Bradford, who
served the Houston Police Department for 24 years, seven of
which was as the Chief. It was during Bradford's time that
the Houston citizens' fear of crime and public safety
concerns went from a high of 59% in 1996 to only 10% in
2003.
As the boat ride was coming to an end, Kase Lawal took the
microphone. His company, where he is Founder and CEO, CAMAC,
a Houston-headquartered oil company won the Best Company
Award of Black Enterprise Magazine last year, while he is
also a commissioner as a member of the Port of Houston Board
of Directors for the 5th term. Having thanked the BGI team
for providing the training expressed the hope that the 50
Nigerian police officers would return home and start to make
some impact based on what they have learnt.
Lawal has actually been asked while the ride lasted what was
the secret of a black man like him from
Nigeria rising to the top of the business world in
the US. Lawal responded in very simple terms: "hard work,
trust in God and helping people." He continued, "Nigeria is
Nigeria because of the people there, the leaders are
people too," trying to inculcate a sense of responsibility
that Nigerians will answer for
Nigeria. " I see no problem with
Nigeria, all we got is time and Nigerians should work
hard on
Nigeria," he added.
"As Police officers you even have a greater role to protect
the people and their property," Lawal stated
But the Nigerian officers also had a charge which Lawal
later picked up. SP Adio, their spokesman first observed
that as Wole Soyinka said it is true of Lawal that "a tiger
does not proclaim its tigritude, it pounces," and then added
how they had met Lawal earlier during the training period
and were very proud that he was a Nigerian. But Lawal was
frank enough to make some critical statements. True this
training has generated a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the
trainees and the trainers, but Adio said "we are only 50
officers out of about 350,000 police officers in
Nigeria." He did not mince his words: "We need to do
more of this, we need BGI to come to
Nigeria, if they do they can possibly train 50,000
police officers in a space of one month."
Then Lawal stepped in and promised to do something about it,
with the support of all involved. On that hopeful note, all
started to disembark from the M/V. Sam Houston, not only
filled with the excitement of the ride, hope of the future,
but also a well fed tummy filled with specially prepared and
very tasty Nigerian food that the Port of Houston made
available through a Nigerian Chef Ral Nwosu, specially hired
for the purpose. Another round of picture-taking and it was
bye- bye time.
A full list of the officers is below
NIGERIA POLICE OFFICERS TRAINING
List of Officers
acp ADEMOLA OMOLE
sp Ahmed Lateef Adio
asp Abdul Mohammed Sanusi
asp Abdullahi Yusuf JAFARU
sp Akpan-Brown Udeme Stephen
dsp Akande Tajudeen Ade
sp Aminu Babale
asp BabamuboNi Adebanji EbeNezer
asp Bello OlaTUNJI Abdullahi
dsp Dakon Philip
sp Dugum Garba
csp Eboka Friday
asp Edem Francis
dsp Edino Justice Ojali
dsp Emmanuel Ikemefuna Onovo
asp Emmanuel Ikupolati
asp Eniafe Yussuf Gbadebo
dsp Faruk Umaru
dsp Fatai Sanni
dsp Garba Haruna
asp Godwin Oko Onah
sp HaLiru I. Gwarzo
asp Hassan Yakubu Agi
dsp Jaiyeoba Idowu Joseph
csp John Ayuba Babangida
csp Ibezim Joseph Ndubuisi
asp Kazeem Oluwatoyin Adebola
sp Makuliso Baba Umaru
NIGERIA POLICE OFFICERS TRAINING
List of Officers
sp Masomene Mathias Michael
sp Mercy Ifeoma Ezeona
dsp Michael Chimaeze Azubuine
sp Michael Chuba Akobi
dsp Nnamuka Sylvester Nnamdi
sp Obamoyegun Timothy Akinlaja
sp Odion Meshach Ekeinde
asp Ogungbemi Igbekele
csp Okunade Ronke Nurat
asp Opayemi Olufunke
dsp Osilonya Evelyn Anwulika
sp Sani Uba Mohammed
asp Sani Salisu
sp Shaibu Abdulrahim Audu
csp Shamishi Samuel Aso
sp Stanley Egbo
sp Nnadi Sylvanus UchecHukwu
asp Tarpaya Ladi
asp Umar Hussein Babangida
asp Victor ‘A’ Berezi
dsp Yahaya Othman Usman
asp Zainab Bello Tifi
ACP – Assistant commissioner of police
csp – chief superintendent of police
sp – superintendent of police
dsp – deputy superintendent of police
asp – assistant superintendent of police
