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 to get
his reaction was not replied to as at 9pm press time on Sunday.
It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters
