It was on a sunny Friday afternoon. Inspector Joy (not real name) stopped
by at the stall of a pepper seller on the premises of the Obalende Police
Barracks, Lagos. After buying some spices she dashed into a beer parlour
adjacent the pepper sellers’ spot.
“I really
need to step down. It’s been a long and tiring day. You can join me if you
wish,” she advises this correspondent who had requested to have an audience
with her as she walked into the beer parlour.
The traffic
policewoman who later requested a bottle of stout resides in the Women Police
Barracks, situated behind the Obalende Barracks.
In a chat
with this correspondent in the drinks joint, she laments that her experience
over the years in service has made her desist from raising her hopes too high
over improvement in welfare of policemen and women.
“Do I need to
explain how I feel about the state of the barracks where we (policemen and
women) live in? You have seen it all yourself here. It is the same situation in
many places. Please, let’s talk about other things because it appears that we
have long been forgotten,” she laments as she sips a glass of beer.
After
finishing the bottle of beer, Inspector Joy, who notes that she is delighted to
make the acquaintance of this correspondent, asks him to join her as she heads
for home.
On getting to
her room-and-parlour apartment in the Police Women’s Barracks meant for
spinsters, the first item which strikes the attention of the journalist is a
photo frame hung on the wall of the sitting room showing Joy and a well-built
man.
Asked if she
is married, Inspector Joy explains that she is “somehow married”, adding that
she cohabits with her man who also happens to be a policeman.
“Don’t mind
the inscription you see at the entrance of this barracks as it does not apply
here. In this barracks, everyone is for himself or herself. My man stays here
with me and goes to work from here just as it is the practice among other
couples irrespective of if they are married or not.
“Nobody
conducts checks on how we are faring and that also explains why the barracks is
not being maintained and has become a total eyesore,” she explains.
No
rehabilitation
The
policewoman who occupies an apartment on one of the two-storey buildings in the
barracks laments that since she moved in, no rehabilitation works have ever
been undertaken in the barracks. But she said in the course of this year, she
has, through the resident association, paid for sundry petty rehabilitation.
“The soak
away recently got filled up and we had to contribute N4,000 each to get it
fixed. Even the toilet we are talking about, there is nothing to write home
about it. About 10 of us from three apartments make use of that dilapidated
toilet and only one bathroom is usable on this floor and tens of people make
use of it.
“This
barracks can at best be described as a refugee camp as it is simply an eyesore
and yet rent is being deducted in my salaries monthly.”
From meagre
allocations that put police stations across the country at the mercy of charity
from communities and criminals, the appalling dwelling places of policemen adds
up to the several factors which make the Nigeria Police Force one of the most
uninspiring institutions to work for many people.
From
Obalende, Surulere, Iponri, Bar Beach to Women’s Police barracks, all in Lagos
the story is that of a sad tale of utter neglect. But the picture is similar in
other states of the federation. While the sewage pipes in many of the barracks
visited are damaged, their rooftops bristling with satellite dishes were
adorned with largely broken, sagging roofing sheets – many of which have indeed
fallen off.
At the
Obalende Barracks, many wives of policemen have simply turned their respective
kitchenettes into shops of some sorts where they sell their wares. At some
other sections of the barracks, wives of policemen have resorted to cooking in
the open due to the dilapidated conditions of their kitchens.
A visitor to
the Surulere Police Barracks could think that it has been turned into a motor
park as seven commuter buses were parked on the premises during this
correspondent’s visit. Besides, two drinking joints sited on the premises of
the barracks have also eaten up available breeding space, thus confirming the
lack of close monitoring from the authorities.
At the Bar
Beach Barracks, only four of the over 20 blocks occupied by inspectors show
signs of renovation. All others were in dilapidated conditions.
During our
correspondent’s tour of the dwelling places of the policemen, the Alausa
Barracks, however, stands out amongst its peers as it is generally in a good
condition. It was gathered that the police authorities recently carried out
renovation works on it.
Home to
rodents and reptiles
On the whole,
apart from lacking in basic aesthetics, the barracks are largely in
dilapidating conditions with many structures fallen off or on the verge of
giving way. For instance, at the Surulere Barracks, it was observed that
rodents and reptiles moved in freely into the kitchens, toilets and bathrooms
as the windows and doors have been broken off and have yet to be fixed. Also,
the cement castings covering the decking on some of the storey buildings are
already giving way.
Besides, the
open drainages and broken sewage pipes oozed out a repugnant smell while
houseflies and other insects capable of transmitting diseases had a field day.
Sadly the
budget of the Federal Government makes provision for the rehabilitation of
police barracks on a yearly basis. For instance, in the just concluded year,
the National Assembly allocated the sum of N425,060,826 for the rehabilitation
and repairs of police stations and barracks across the country. Yet the state
of many of these structures remain abysmal across the country.
No
alternative to broken barracks
Findings
reveal that in spite of the sorry state of the barracks, policemen and women
still jostle to get accommodated in them. It was gathered that police officers
and men usually ‘water the ground’ often by giving bribes to some officials
attached to the provost offices in the various state police commands.
A police
corporal at the Bar Beach Barracks, Lagos explains that before he got his
apartment, a colleague of his who was moving out influenced the allocation to him.
“After
meeting with the colleague of mine parking out of the barracks, I tipped him
and he took me to the office of the provost where we also watered the ground.
Afterwards, I got the apartment allocated to me,” the police corporal says.
Asked why he chose
what looks like a life of squalor with his family in the barracks, the corporal
explains that he opted for the barracks due to the exorbitant rents that many
landlords place on their properties.
He says,
“This barracks is not too good for human habitation. But I think I have got no
other choice than to move out of the civilian residential apartment as my
landlord was not fair with the rent as he put it up at will.
“Although I
can’t put a specific figure to the amount I pay monthly due to the newly introduced
e-payment regime, the rent in the barracks can’t be more than N5,000, which is
far less than how much I paid in my former place of residence.”
At the
Surulere Barracks, a police sergeant attached to the Nigeria Police Force
Headquarters Annexe in Obalende, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, notes
that he hardly makes use of the toilet he shares with other residents of his
block. He explains that due to the dilapidated state of the toilet, he always
makes use of rest rooms of one of the banks opposite the barracks whenever he
is pressed.
“I try as
much as possible to empty my bowels at the office but whenever I am pressed at
home, I rush down to the bank opposite the barracks and act as if I’m one of
their customers with a view to passing out waste.
“This is the
third barracks I have resided in. I once stayed in Sunrise Barracks in
Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos as well as in Obalende Barracks and I can tell you
that the barracks are also in very worrisome states,” he laments.
The police
sergeant says he has refused to allow his family to stay with him in the
barracks due to the level of deterioration adding that the environment is not
good enough to raise his kids.
In spite of
the cooperation among the policemen occupying the barracks, which led to the
formation of a development association on block basis, the police sergeant
notes that only little has been done to salvage the situation.
“During the
rainy season, this whole place leading up to my apartment is always waterlogged
and to add salt to injury, the human faeces in the broken sewage adds to the
stagnant water around and pollutes the whole environment. This has been the
trend for the three years I have been leaving here as no renovation has taken
place. My children and wife stay in Ibadan where I got them a decent
accommodation. To be realistic, it is not easy staying away from one’s family
but this environment is not good enough. My children are still young and any of
these structures around are hanging precariously and could fall on them,” he adds.
Senior
officers embrace self help
But just as
the rank and file of the police lament the state of the barracks, those in the
officer cadre are not left out in the sad tale of neglect of their housing
units. At the Ikeja GRA Police Officers’ Quarters occupied by those in the rank
of Assistant Superintendent of Police up to those in the Deputy Commissioner of
Police cadre, it was gathered that residents have been forced to self help to
make their apartments and indeed the environment habitable.
A deputy superintendent
of police who resides in the quarters explains that their various apartments
appear to be in a fair state compared to other barracks because of the huge
sums of money they expend on general maintenance.
The police
officer who lives in a three-bedroom apartment in the quarters says, “It’s
frustrating that one is being forced to expend huge sums of money on critical
maintenance and sometimes outright reconstruction and renovation of a place you
pay monthly rents. In the course of the year, the roofing and ceilings of my
apartment got damaged, I spent close to N100, 000 to get it fixed.”
Asked if she
made an attempt to claim the money from the relevant authorities, she says,
“Who will repay you? The fact is that there is this culture of self-help that
has grown tightly interwoven amongst officers and men due to the neglect we
have been facing for many years now.”
Endangered
psychology
A clinical
psychologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Leonard
Okonkwo, says the poor state of the barracks may account for one of the several
factors causing the “not-too-pleasant behaviour of many policemen in the
country.”
According to
him, shelter is one of the basic physiological needs of humans which should not
be toiled with .
He observes
that in the case of the police, housing needs ought not to be “partially met.”
The
psychologist notes that there is a correlation between shelter and performance.
“When a
policeman is made to live under shabby conditions you can’t get the best from
him or her,” he says.
Okonkwo
explains that toiling with the adequate shelter of those saddled with the
responsibility of internal security of the country will only breed a police
force populated with “disorganised and disorderly thinking” officers and men.
He adds, “If
a man is not well sheltered he is not well motivated as shelter is a symbol of
safety. When a policeman goes out to work, he should come back to the safety
and comfort of his house. But in a situation where the barracks is not in a
good shape, the policeman’s performance is affected.
“The
policeman is always thinking about his or her welfare. If you are not well
sheltered in a tidy and decent environment, the level of disorganised thinking
is promoted and concentration on the job is affected. It is worthy of note that
where you live boosts your confidence and in view of this, taking proper care
of barracks improves the ego of the policeman as they are proud of their job,
thereby ultimately boosting their performance.”
He explains
that one of the potent methods some organisations from around the world have
been devising to boost the performance of their staff is to provide them with
good accommodation and a conducive working environment , adding that the
Nigeria Police should not be an exception.
“Until our
policemen and women are well taken care of in terms of the provision of decent
shelter, Nigerians are not likely to get the best from them. I advise that
their welfare should be a top priority.
“Since they
are saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and in the
course of doing that their lives are at stake, the authorities concerned should
know that our policemen will be more courageous to do their job when they know
that their welfare is not been taken with levity,” Okonkwo adds.
Apart from
the men and women who are on the receiving end of the negative consequences of
staying in barracks that are of poor and bad conditions, experts are of the
opinion that children raised in such environments are also at risks.
Trouble for
barracks children
A lecturer in
the Department of Sociology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr. Oludele
Ajani, says while the morale of an average policeman or woman who lives in a
slum-like barracks is dampened, experience has shown that their offspring tend
to exhibit deviant behaviours.
Ajani , whose
area of specialty is development studies and social change, argues that the
environment where one lives dictates and influences once behaviour, conduct and
attitude to life.
He says, “The
effect of the dilapidating state of our barracks is one of the issues we as
academics have raised over the years. And that is why when you interact with
our law enforcement officers, they are always on the edge, you begin to wonder
who annoyed them. Poor environment and housing units affects their output and
interaction.
“But more
worrisome is the fact that children raised in such environments are generally
deviant and become social misfits as they tend to take after the behaviour of
their parents. And that is why people tag children raised in the barracks as
“omo barracks” (barracks kids) – to depict those traits they exhibit which are
against social norms. We are products of the environment.
“Allowing
policemen and women as well as their children to stay in overcrowded housing
units, which lack drainages and basic amenities, is not in the best interest of
this all important institution. These children may not see beyond their
immediate environment and this may affect their life goals.”
When our
correspondent contacted the Provost of the Lagos State Police Command, Busari
Okunola, who is in charge of allocation of barracks in the state, he declined
comments over the issue.
The Lagos
State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who was at his office
during our correspondent’s visit, says she is not in the best position to
address issues relating to barracks maintenance and allocations.
“We operate a
centralised police system. Please, direct your enquiries to them at the Force
Headquarters in Abuja,” Braide notes.
However,
successive attempts to get the Force Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank
Mba, to speak on the conditions of the barracks proved abortive. On December
24, Mba told our correspondent on the telephone that he was in Yobe State and
was not in a position to grant any interviews at the time.
On December
27 when our correspondent called him again, he simply went silent on the
telephone after this correspondent introduced himself, in an apparent move to
dodge him.
Also, an
electronic mail as well as a text message sent to him had to get his reaction
was not replied to as at 9pm press time on Sunday.
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