By Oluwatosin Oladipo
BRAIN Magazine
“You cannot keep starving the gatekeepers and expect the gate to remain secure.”
In a country where senators pocket over ₦30 million monthly while the men and women tasked with guarding lives and property walk home with ₦35,000 after 35 years of service, the social equation is dangerously flawed. This is not just about salary—it is about justice, dignity, and national security.
THE UNHEARD VOICE: POLICE STRIKE AND PUBLIC OUTCRY
Nigeria's police force recently considered a quiet strike action—a symbolic withdrawal, not necessarily from duty, but from hope. Their concerns are simple, yet weighty: poor remuneration, lack of benefits, dehumanizing working conditions, and societal disrespect. A constable with decades of service retires to a life of poverty, earning less in a month than a senator earns in one day’s sitting allowance.
The irony is painful. The same officers who escort convoys of politicians stealing national wealth can barely afford school fees for their children or pay for decent medical care. Can we truly expect integrity from men living on the edge of survival?
BRILLIANCE IN CHAINS: THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF NIGERIAN POLICE
The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) remains one of the most talented and resourceful law enforcement bodies in Africa. With proven abilities in crisis control, intelligence gathering, and anti-crime operations, the force has raw brilliance, but this brilliance has been pocketed by poverty.
The police academy produces well-trained graduates, but many end up abandoning their skillsets due to lack of motivation. Bribery and corruption become survival tools when hunger is the daily companion.
SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF POLICE POVERTY
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Insecurity Will Persist: A hungry officer cannot be an effective protector. When the protector is vulnerable, the protected are exposed.
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Bribery Becomes Norm: When your salary cannot fuel your motorcycle to work, collecting bribes becomes justified—not moral, but human.
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Public Distrust Grows: Society begins to see the police as predators rather than protectors. This widens the gap between citizens and law enforcement.
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Youth Avoid the Profession: The force becomes unattractive to passionate, disciplined minds. What follows is a cycle of mediocrity and abuse.
RESTRUCTURING THE FORCE: KEY AREAS FOR REFORM
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WELFARE AND SALARY REVIEW
- A minimum wage of ₦150,000 for entry-level officers
- Retirement benefits to be indexed to inflation and years of service
- Immediate implementation of life insurance and housing benefits
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TRAINING AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Proper funding of local intelligence structures. Recruitment from within communities to ensure loyalty and effectiveness.
IF THEY ARE NOT OK, THEY BITE TO SURVIVE
It’s an undeniable fact: poverty provokes violence. When the police are deprived, they turn on those they swore to protect—not out of wickedness, but desperation. From extortion at checkpoints to wrongful arrests, the damage inflicted is systemic, and often irreparable.
A well-fed, well-trained, and well-respected officer is less likely to be compromised. The force needs not just funding—it needs a complete value reorientation backed by tangible welfare uplift.
THE POWER OF ONE VOICE
The push for police welfare must not be left to the officers alone. It is a citizen’s call to action. A secure society begins with a stable police force. The slogan must shift from “Police is your friend” to “Police deserves your support.”
FINAL THOUGHT
"You cannot ask a drowning man to save another.”
If we want to curb crime, tackle terrorism, and rebuild trust in law enforcement, we must begin with justice inside the uniform. Until we correct this imbalance—where gatekeepers live in penury while politicians swim in opulence—we will only be treating the symptoms, not the disease.
Let the Nigerian Police Force rise again—not just in number, but in honor, capacity, and national value.
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