Inspiring the Nigeria Police with Honours

By Edwin Nwachukwu,

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

There is an Igbo dictum which if rendered in English means that “lending support to a fighter encourages him to fight to succeed’’.

It is against this background that Matchmakers Consult International, owners of the Pitch Awards, have continued to support the Nigeria Police Force with various honours from 2016.

It is also in line with its avowed mandate to give honour to whom it is due that recently, the Pitch Awards recognised the accomplishments of the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, while he was the Commissioner of Police (CP), Enugu Police Command.

Adamu while in Enugu, specifically used sports, especially football to engage the attention of youths and steer them away from criminal activities.

Shina Philips, President of Nigeria Pitch Awards, presenting award statuette to Ag. IGP Mohammed Adamu at the Force Headquarters on March 8, 2019.

The award, given to him on March 8, is to encourage him to do more for the country using sports and employing all available knowledge in security to free the nation of crime and criminality.

Explaining the need for the award, the Managing Director of Matchmakers Consult International, Mr Shina Philips, says that the company has honoured policemen who have excelled in different endeavours in the course of their duties.

“The Nigeria Pitch Awards have always supported the Nigeria Police Force because policemen have played pivotal role in Nigerian sports.

“Remember the contributions of the Samuel Peters, “The Nightmare’’, a former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion; Chioma Ajunwa, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist who is still a serving police officer, the late Sunday Bada, Sunday Adeleye, Sunday Oyarekhua, Kikelomo Ajayi a former captain of the Super Falcons and many other police officers who have brought sports glories to Nigeria.

“So, the Police among security agencies in the country have taken the front role,’’ Philips said.

He recalled that in 2016, in Kaduna, the Pitch Awards honoured the then Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro with an award.
The event had in attendance the Governor of Kaduna State Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Pinnick, top members of the NFF Board and Super Eagles players led by Coach Samson Siasia and John Obi Mikel.

“In 2017, we honoured Mr Solomon Arase who was the Inspector General of Police at that time.

“We also honoured Mr Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police and Police Public Relations Officer to the Enugu Police Command for his invaluable contributions in the use of football to engage the attention of youths who would have otherwise availed themselves for criminal activities.

“As a result of Amarizu’s contributions, the Police Machine FC, made great exploits and recorded victories even over established teams like Rangers International. Incidentally, the Enugu Command football success was inspired by the Ag. IGP when he was CP in Enugu.

Adamu was Acting Inspector General of Police by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 15, 2019 and has continued to elicit commendations from many Nigerians, especially those who know his pedigree as a quintessential and a thoroughly bred Police Officer.
Those who know what the new I-G will be bringing on board are equally delighted at the positive changes the force will witness in the coming months and years.

However, we must realise that policing a country like Nigeria is never an easy job. Only a Police I-G with the right exposure, expertise and discipline and an eagled-eye focus can successfully lead the force.
Nigerians expect the I-G Mohammed Adamu to lead an ambitious force that will absolutely focus on crime prevention.

The acting I-G, it is hoped, will bridge the gap between the Police and the public by getting police officers and men to interact professionally with the public and treat them with tact and respect. Adamu will work assiduously to smoke out criminals and hunt them down.
Nigerians also expect to see a police force that is very disciplined and focused on her traditional responsibility of fighting crime and protecting society.

Through his exposure, the acting I-G will work to reform the force and make her meet international and global police standard.

But above all, supporting the police with laurels can motivate the force to eschew corruption which, the people now believe, is innate in them and work assiduously to protect the citizenry from criminalities.

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