HEADS MAY ROLL AFTER JONATHAN’S POLICE COLLEGE VISIT

SHOCKING discoveries by President Goodluck Jonathan during
his unscheduled visit on Friday  to the Police College, Ikeja, may lead to
a major shake-up  in  the Nigeria Police Force and the Ministry 
of Police Affairs, findings by The
PUNCH have revealed.

A Presidency official, who spoke to one our correspondents
in confidence, on Sunday, said, “The picture being painted is that of total
neglect of the police training colleges, including the one in Ikeja.

“But the fact is that some money was budgeted for those
colleges. How has the money been spent? There will be a probe and anybody found
wanting will be sacked.”

Already, sources said top officials at the Ministry of
Police Affairs, the Police Service Commission, and the office of the
Inspector-General of Police have  been put under scrutiny over the
condition of  the PCI.

It was also gathered that the DIG ‘E’ Department, Mr.
Marvel Akpoyibo, who oversees training in the Nigeria Police, might be called
upon to give explanations on the “unacceptable magnitude” of rot in the police
training schools.

Jonathan, who could not hide his anger during  the
visit to the PCI  en route Cote d’Ivoire for the ECOWAS Summit on Mali,
said  that the  rot , being televised as a documentary on a
Lagos-based privately-owned Channels Television, was meant to tarnish the image
of his  administration.

The documentary was said to have informed his unscheduled
visit to the college.

  “This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of
this government. The Police College, Ikeja, is not the only training
institution in Nigeria,” he had said.

His questions on who got Channels  to film the
depreciation in facilities caused by years of sustained decay were not
answered  by  the embattled commandant of the college.

A confidant of the President said that Jonathan was of the
view that those appointed to occupy sensitive positions had failed to do their
jobs.

The President’s visit coincided with a  wedding
reception being held at the Police College.

There were fears that the police college had long deviated
from the standard norms associated with a police formation .

It was learnt that the field of the Police College was
being rented out to the public for ceremonies ranging from weddings, funerals
and sundry social activities. The proceeds from such rentals hardly appear in
the college’s books nor do  they  reflect in the maintenance of
facilities in the school.

Also, those in charge of the PCI  were alleged to
place priority on such rentals at the expense of serious training programmes in
the school.

The Police Public Relations Officer  of the PCI, Mr.
Agu Genny, however, said he did not know if money was paid to the college for
renting the field as it was not under his responsibility.

“I don’t know how much or if money is paid for using the
field because it is not my responsibility. That question should be directed to
the officer in charge of finance or the commandant of the college”, he said.

Like the proceeds from the rentals, monies realised from 
billboards, including spectacular  boards that are rented by advertising
agencies, are not accounted for.

An officer, who declined to give his name because of the
sensitivity of the scandal, said, “Look, for many years outdoor advertising
agencies have always  erected their spectacular billbords in our premises.