Doctor Moses Ukeh has called upon the House Of Representatives to end victimisation and dehumanisation of non-muslims at Nigeria Police Academy
One od the senior lecturers in the Nigeria Police Academy (POLAAC), Wudil in Kano State, Northern region of Nigeria, Dr Moses Ichongo Ukeh, has petitioned the House of Representatives and accused the management of the academy of impunity, hijacking of admission, removal of pre-employment psychological evaluation of prospective cadets, denial of staff promotions, allowances and accommodation.
According to Ukeh, “I use my case as a point of contact to reflect the high level of victimisation and dehumanisation perpetrated against non-Muslims and non-tribal members.
Ukeh described his petition as a distress call for the lawmakers to review and correct anomalies going on at the academy and save the institution from official embarrassment, avert impending doom being meted out to a senior faculty member who is “being victimised for standing up against injustices and dehumanization perpetuated by the insensitive and high-handed Kano cabal who claim ownership of the school.”
“For example, those, I am their academic senior are made full professors years ago and appointed to administrative positions, while there is a conspiracy to deny my promotion to Associate Professor.
“I have no office or residential accommodation, no administrative responsibility and never benefitted a sponsored local or international conference. Such negative and anti-staff welfare policies made by authorities are based on religious and ethnic sentiments rather than established rules (POLAC Establishment Act, 2021).
“These comprehensive irregularities were submitted by the Staff Welfare Steering Committee (2021) to the Minister of Police Affairs, but nothing tangible was done to reverse the trend and the situation keeps worsening.”
He added , that the failure of supervisory and oversight agencies to demand accountability at POLAC has led to a loss of visionary leadership and the establishment of a culture of impunity, which according to him, if not reversed immediately could destroy the institution.
Ukeh noted, “Since the academy lacks a grievance procedure, I use this medium as the last resort to seek for intervention and/or decentralisation into geo-political campuses as all efforts to reform have failed.”
He stated that the lack of accountability and transparency demanded of principal officers of the academy had undermined the objects that informed the establishment of the academy as contained in section 2 subsections a-g of Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment) Act (NPA Act, 2021) – the provision of globally competitive police officers, who are key actors for effective public policing and community service delivery.
According to him, “Since the inception of this school, the commandants and coordinators/provosts who always hail from Kano and its environs have consistently failed to identify their respective roles and harmonise the police and academic roles to achieve the goals of the institution (see Steering Committee Submission to Minister, 2021)”.
“Rather than consider their appointments in the Academy as a call to serve – strengthening public security
In conclusion ,Ukeh said “Instead, they struggle for supremacy and created factions, where each side corruptly utilize their positions as personal entitlement to enrich themselves, provide jobs for their boys, arbitrarily admit cadets and promote their kinsmen over nontribal members, victimise staff who doesn’t belong to their blocs, as well as grant training/conference sponsorships and allocate residential and office accommodation along tribal/religious lines.
Dr. Moses Ukeh appeal to the House of Representatives to swift into action on the said matter.