Many youths of southeast extraction do not want to enlist in the Nigeria Police because they feel the Nigerian government is not fair to the region.
Recall that the police recruitment exercise was halted recently because of the low enrolment of the youths from southeast compared to their counterparts from other regions. The exercise was halted to woo more youths of southeast to enlist in the force.
Figures show that out of about 81, 000 applications received nationwide, southeast accounts for only 7, 652.
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Moses Odo, a graduate of Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, told THE WHISTLER that, “When the head is rotten, nothing good is expected again. How can I join the Nigeria Police in a country that does not see anything good in southeast?
“The current regime has made it glaring that we don’t belong. So I’ll remain jobless rather than joining any security agency in Nigeria.”
For Charity Mouka, who lives in Awka, “The image of the Nigeria Police is not attractive to me. There is much falsehood. It does not portray morality, so I won’t even consider the profession for my unborn generation.”
A parent, who refused to be mentioned, said, “My father retired as a policeman. He does not want any of his children to join the force. I think his anger was the manner he was forced out of police barracks immediately he was injured.
“He prefers anybody joining the force to enroll into the senior cadre, which is not easy to come by. It is corruption everywhere. The major reason is that our people see the profession as a curse. Policemen hardly display integrity, so I don’t like it.”
On how her decision is detrimental to the slots allotted to the region, she said, “I still doubt if there is anything an Igbo man will get in this country. We simply don’t belong.”
Kingsley, a graduate of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, said, “I truly want Biafra to come because things are not normal in this country. Again, police are poorly treated in terms of remuneration. Many may be interested to join the force, but I don’t think any graduate can jettison his certificate and join the police.”
Enyinna Okeke, a plumber, said, “The reason is just the rising insecurity in the country. Most easterners are sent to the North to fight Boko Haram and bandits after recruitment, while the northern officers are sent to the East where there’s less security challenges.
“Security personnel are now the target of bandits. The fear of such attacks is making many youths of southeast shun the profession. Again, Igbo youths are tired of this contraption called Nigeria.”
Miss Nnenna Morris said, “When it comes to police and army recruitments, they will remember the federal character, but in other political appointments and job opportunities, it is man-know-man.”
Miss Amaka Kalu, a caterer, said, “A sister of mine applied more than twice to join the police, yet they keep turning down her application because she doesn’t want to offer bribes or pay in kind.
“I know many youths that had tried to join the police, but were denied the opportunity; not that they don’t meet the requirements but due to the corruption in the system.”
Our correspondent reports that the apathy shown by youths of southeast toward enlisting in the Nigeria Police has forced many stakeholders to embark on sensitising the youths to consider the profession as patriotic citizens. Figures show that out of about 81, 000 applications received nationwide, southeast accounts for only 7, 652.
The commissioner representing southeast in the Police Service Commission, Mr Onyemauche Nnamani, had last Friday in Enugu revealed that, “An additional concern is that most of the applicants seem academically challenged as more than 90 percent have consistently failed to score up to 30 per cent in the examinations, which is a sad reflection of the calibre of officers that will be patrolling our communities in the event that these persons end up enlisted in the police.”