Olufemi Adenaike
Olufemi Adenaike, commissioner of police, Kaduna State, never saw a policeman or had knowledge of the workings of police authority until he enlisted in the force at 23. But as fate would have it, after an encounter with an army officer, he decided to try his luck at a police recruitment centre even against the wish of his parents. Today, the rest is history. With nostalgia, he reflects on his life as a police officer and his plans after retirement with News Editor, Ajibola Abayomi in this interview.
Why did you join the Nigeria Police and not a career in journalism so that you can be searching for stories like us?
Journalism was out of it. I don’t want to add to my problems at all. I left University of Lagos in 1980. I read sociology and I served my national youths service in 1981. There was total ban on employment after my youth service by the government of President Shehu Shagari. I lived in FESTAC Town, Lagos. At that time, I was in a group of eight friends whom we left school the same year and we were on job hunting. We do meet on daily basis to review our effort to get job at that time. One day, we were in a friend’s house and a soldier came to tell us that there a recruitment going on in the police force. We went and here I am today as a police commissioner.
Before you were promoted the commissioner, how did you handled moment of despair when you were rising through the ranks; were there occasions you felt like throwing in the towel as a result of challenges?
In school days, I was a footballer and an athlete. As a sports man, I am used to challenges. That keeps me running around, so that has been part of me for long.
Did it ever occur to you that you would one day become a commissioner of police even when you were in police college?
Definitely, I knew I would end up being promoted as commissioner someday because of our structure. I believe I will still rise to higher position. It is turn by turn; as soon as people move up, one will always get promotion, as long as one has no problem or any stigma that will stain one’s record.
You mean you have never being issued a query before?
No, I have been that lucky.
So what are you doing about those giving police bad name?
There is nothing one can do. Some of us are bad and many of us are good. You heard about how some policemen in Nasarawa State gave out information about their colleagues and over 70 policemen were killed. There are so many factors that can make one to derail like religion, ethnicity and others. I believe constant training can change many things in the police. By the time you join the police at 23, your personality is already formed.
How old were you when you joined the police?
I joined at the age of 23. At that time, one was already a mature person. The police can either brighten or add more value to your life as a person.
How did your parents react to your decision to join the police force?
My parents, like any other parents, did not readily approve of my intention to join the police. I did my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with a bank. They were expecting me to end up a banker, but there was a ban on employment then. I am not a Lagosian. I am an Ijebu man. I never had any stint with the police. I never saw a policeman before I joined the force. I never experienced any encounter with a policeman during my university days.
So what comes to your mind whenever you hear gun shot or bomb from criminals?
That is the police in you. One would always think about saving lives. I was running crazy when there was an attack on a bank at Markafi, here in Kaduna State sometimes ago when I couldn’t reach anybody for information. You need to see my frustration because I had to be careful not to give my men away. In short, if you love police as a career, the urge to save lives will always be in you. As I am talking to you, if I get an emergency call, I have no choice than to act to save the situation.
As a commissioner of police, how do you cope with the pressure?
Policing Kaduna State has been interesting and quiet challenging. Every day that passes by, there is always a new thing to talk about. There are many people to meet and new problems to solve. The whole activities keep one busy and younger.
How do you ensure that things don’t get out of hand in the state?
I would say one is lucky giving the caliber of other top security chiefs around like the GOC 1D. We were in the same university and we played football together. We have generals that relate with us regularly. They are very accommodating. The Base Commander is also very friendly and ready to solve problems. The Director of State Security Service (SSS) is a guru of everything. He schooled here in Kaduna State and understands the language of the people. That enabled him to know a lot about the state. We depend on him a lot for most of the things we do. So far so good, we have been working as a team and we are happy together.
As a Yoruba man, are your people in the South West not bothered that you are working in the northern part of the country where activities of the dreaded Boko Haram are pronounced?
When you are out there in the South West, you think only of Boko Haram. When you get in here, you will see bigger problems. You will discover that Boko Haram is even number three on the list of crimes being committed. We have the Fulani armed robbers. Any time they are on rampage, they try to wipe out a whole village. Whenever they operate, they leave behind blood everywhere with heavy destruction. Apart from that, there is the issue of drug addiction among youths, so Boko Haram is not even the real problem as such because they come and go.
Are you saying most of the insurgent attacks being reported in the north particularly in Kaduna State, are armed robbery incidents?
The press is the problem. Like what happened in Markafi sometimes ago, it was reported as activity of the insurgent, whereas, they are common armed robbers who came to rob Keystone Bank using explosives like the Boko Haram members. They blew off the strong room of the bank, however, my men repelled the attack and we did not allow them to take the money with their explosives.
Why are you castigating the press, is the police not expected to work hand in hand with journalists?
We are supposed to work hand in hand but the press seems to have forgotten about information management in many instances.
You want the media to lie or look the other way when such incident happen?
It is not everything that you see that you report on pages of newspapers and on television. If the insurgent read newspapers or listen to radio and television after an attack and it was not reported in an alarming rate as they envisaged, they would be disappointed. The other time they attacked a bank in Markafi, a small part of the entire Kaduna State, some newspapers came up with banner headlines that Kaduna State was under siege. If you live in Edo State and you want to visit Kaduna State, and you read such, won’t you have a rethink? Yes there was an attack but the police rose to the occasion. The press exaggerates in many instances. If you don’t talk to them, you are in more trouble. I think many of the people that are called journalists today need to be reviewed. Some don’t care about what they write other than the money they make.
You think police is also not due for a review?
We have our own problems. We don’t need the press to add to it. The challenges confronting the police are numerous ranging from mobility, communication, fund and others. You may even say we are lethargic if you like. Country gets the kind of police it desires. I think until Nigeria have a rethink and improve the lots of the police, you will always find us to be lethargic.
How do you think police can be improved?
That can be done through improved mobility, communication and remuneration.
But some Nigerians are of the opinion that an average policeman is corrupt, how do you cope with such stigma?
When I was undergoing training as a police officer, my mother said she never knew that one of her sons would end up being a thief. She never wanted me in the police. But I told her that police is a good job that there are lots of people that are doing well in the profession. She shouted me down and gave me money to take flight to Jos for my training. I managed to tell her that well, if she could get me a better job that I would pick the next flight and return to Lagos to join her. Ironically, as I speak with you now, well over 20 years ago, she has not found any job for me.
Why did your mother think you would end up a thief?
There was so much prejudice and stigma then that police is corrupt. There is no department in the country that doesn’t have its own challenges. However, because police is the first point of contact in government, they always see us as the worst. When you look at the public service and you hear people talk on TV and radio, because as policemen, we may have had an encounter with many of them, we know who they are. We just laugh off many of those criticisms. Many of those castigating police are worse, even though, if you say it to my face that police is corrupt, I will just laugh. I can hold my head high that I am not what you think in terms of corruption. People are so funny that some would say that police officers can even take money from the dead but that is not true. Until I joined the police and my mother saw me being promoted as Chief Superintendent before her death, she never believed that police is such a nice career.
Was she ever proud of you?
She was wonderfully happy. Among her other children, I became the favourite. Later she was of the view that at least women gave birth to other police officers too. My elder brother was an artist; my elder sister is a dentist while my younger brother is an architect.
Is any of your children taking after you?
I can’t dictate for any of my children. It depends on what they want. However, I will be happy if any of them choose to be a policeman.
If you are to live your life again, what will you like to do?
Definitely, I will not want to come to Nigeria again.
Why?
If I am to live my life again, I want a place where I will enjoy life with good road and electricity. I want a place where the sanity level will be so high. There is a lot of madness here. I want to live in places like Dublin and Germany where people live on technology. In fact, I will like to return in the next world as a medical doctor. I want to be in a country where people don’t want to die because how do you explain a situation where some people are carrying explosives to attack fellow human beings? I am a law a biding person so I want to live in an orderly environment.
When you retire what do you intend to do?
I will like to set up an amusement park where people will come and enjoy themselves.
So you intend to set up a beer parlour?
No I mean an entertainment center where people can bring their families for relaxation.
How do you catch your fun?
It depends on what you mean. I am an introvert. I hate going out. In short my wives always complain that I keep in door too much. Occasionally, I drive my car to ensure that my reflexes are still sharp.
How does she cope with you as an introvert?
My wife is an active type that enjoys being restless, she is always moving from one place to another jumping up and down to solve one problem or the other such that at times I ask her, ‘madam what is your problem? You hardly settle down in a place for a second.’
How did you meet her?
(Laugh)No, it was through a friend many years ago. It was just a mere introduction, somebody said, here is Yemi and Femi. Some thought the relationship would not work but here we are today ad husband and wife.
The post My mother thought I will end up a thief –Adenaike, Kaduna CP appeared first on Daily Independent Newspapers.