Do Nigerian Policemen Get Paid At All?

It’s rather unfortunate that Nigerians pay a great deal of attention to the major vices in our society, pretending not to see the minor ones which accumulate to give rise to the major ones they beg their larynx to produce a voice for. Or is this case one that has made a number of Nigerians tired that they just don’t want to say anything again?

I was on a bike on a sunny Saturday; it was sunny that the bike itself was complaining and had to move even faster than its rider! As we were drawing closer to my destination, I noticed a check point which led to a traffic jam. Oh! It’s the policemen; they must be doing their job. We had to move slowly and patiently till it reached our turn for the normal checking I taught they were up with, only to see a short, stout, round stomached policeman asking for his money, I was still calm, maybe the bike man was owing this not-fit-for-the-force looking man. The next thing that happened shocked me; the policeman removed the key to the motorcycle and said “you are not serious, when you are ready beckon at me”. Did I just use beckon? Such a man wouldn’t have said that! The disgraceful act ended on the beautiful note of bribery that we all know our policemen for. You must be thinking I’m surprised, of course not, just felt the Police force should be a part of the change we want to see in this country.

I was annoyed to say the least, and I wanted to challenge the Policeman, why do you have to collect money from this man? That’s the simple question I wanted to pose at the Policeman, but something stopped me from continuing. Interestingly, the bike man was trying to be serious too as demanded by the Policeman, but he felt reluctant to give the policeman the fifty naira he was commanding. It is their right, and nobody toys with it in our country! I tried putting myself in the shoes of the bike man and I felt the reason why the money meant a whole lot to him. Sitting on a semi-healthy bike, driving around in the sun in search of passengers who at the end of the day would still bit down the cost of their fare, only to see some men ask for their money, what money? Have we been working all day together? One just needs to be in a cab to see this annoying act of bribery happen, and you see curses transport workers rain on them with complaints, why? Don’t Policemen get paid?

This embarrassing and unruly act needs to stop! One thing I have continued to learn is that most people don’t want to give bribe, not in Nigeria! But some agents would just necessitate it, one of which is the Policemen. What lessons do the Force want children to learn from the embarrassing acts they indulge in? When a child already knows a policeman is waiting to tax their father along their path home. This just has to stop! The Force should look into this and adjust, enough has been said, and this wouldn’t hurt too. The bike man who carried me didn’t have the necessary documents, and I just folded my arms and enjoyed the drama. I couldn’t interfere, what right is to be fought for? Transport workers too aid bribery and corruption, but they don’t seem to understand, why would you be on the road without the necessary documents to your car or motorcycle? They help give more oxygen to bribery and corruption.

I wouldn’t know why a policeman would delay somebody after checking their documents without complaints. Uninterestingly, Policemen that should protect the interest of the citizens are now sources of insecurity. Should in case Policemen don’t understand their roles and responsibilities again, let’s have them re-orientated, so that they do what they are expected to do and not disturbing hardworking Nigerians for their hard earned money which they still disrespect by squeezing into their big fat pockets!

Tijani Sheriffdeen is an undergraduate student of the prestigious University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.