Muslim group reacts as Buhari increases police salary
Buhari for approving increment of police officers' salary.
President Buhari on Wednesday announced a huge increase in the salary
of the Nigerian Police.
The review is expected to affect all policemen from the highest to the
lowest rank.
In a press statement signed by MURIC Director, Ishaq Akintola, and
issued to DAILY POST on Thursday, the Muslim rights organization said
it welcomed the decision with great pleasure.
The statement said, "It is a new dawn. President Buhari has energized
our police. This is the kind of motivation the police needs.
"The increase which is said to be about 300% above the former salary
will address the country's security challenge and substantially reduce
bribery and corruption in the system.
"It is the greatest motivation ever received by the Nigerian police.
Nigerians have been blaming the police wrongly for some time now.
"But MURIC has been consistent in analyzing the situation very
objectively. We have always placed the blame on lack of motivation,
poor salary structure, lack of welfare and poor equipment.
"We commend Buhari for listening to our cries. This is a listening
leader. No administration in the history of this country has done so
much for the police department.
"When Buhari assumed office, the police force had just 317,000 men
watching over a population of more than 220 million when the global
best practice as recommended by the United Nations is one policeman to
every 500 citizens.
"Within the spate of three years, he has increased police population
to 334,000. He first approved the recruitment of 10,000 about two
years ago and another 6,000 not long after that. There is no iota of
doubt that Buhari will do more if he is given another four years in
power.
"If we compare his performance to that of his predecessors we will
find a huge difference. In 2002, the Federal Government (FG) promised
to recruit 40,000 policemen annually.
"That promise remained on paper till today. Although Buhari did not
make any promise to the police during the 2015 electioneering
campaigns, he has come up with surprise packages for them.
"The wailers may still not see change in this development. We respect
constructive criticism but we find it difficult to understand blind
and fanatical doubting Thomases.
"Perpetual wailers have failed to see Buhari's home-grown school
feeding programme which has accommodated over nine million children
across twenty-two states.
"They have ignored FG's trader-money which gives direct empowerment to
market women across the country. They have turned the blind eye at
N-Power volunteer corps which employs 500,000 Nigerian graduates.
"Yet there is more. The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) gives N5,000
monthly to the extremely poor. In the Government Enterprise and
Empowerment Programme, a soft loan scheme targets 1.6 million women,
traders, artisans, small businesses and youths.
"Under the scheme, soft loans of between N10,000 and N100,000 is given
to these categories of people without interest with a repayment period
of three months to six months and administration cost of 5 per cent by
the Bank of Industry.
"It appears that Buhari's Social intervention programmes (SIPs) annoy
wailers because Buhari is sharing money to the poor masses directly
instead of putting it in the private pockets of politicians.
"This was the practice during the sixteen years of pillage. But change
is here. It is no longer business as usual. The tap from which money
was flowing into the buckets of politicians has been turned off
courtesy of BVN and Treasury Single Account (TSA). Stealing is now
corruption.
"Wailers are on their own if they still cannot appreciate this
administration. Objectivity demands that one shows respect even for
the enemy when the latter achieves an extraordinary feat. Buhari
recognized June 12 but instead of admitting the giant stride, wailers
said it was politics. They said he was buying votes with the welfare
programmes.
"FG is building the second Niger Bridge which previous administrations
have failed to attend to despite humongous allocations earmarked for
the project. That project which will cost N210 billion is 50%
complete.
"Lagos-Ibadan rail line which is gulping $1.4 billion is 80% complete.
Nigerians are being shown pictures and video clips of the progress of
these projects yet wailers are yelling. We have no doubt that wailers
will still complain even if Buhari constructs Macadam roads to their
bedrooms. Wailers are haters.
"We are waiting to see how the spoilsports in the National Assembly
(NASS) will frustrate this good move. We want to see how increase in
police salary will be ambushed. It is in the character of some
politicians to spoil the good work of government so as to make the
president unpopular, with the hope that this will enhance their own
inordinate ambition of seizing the reins of power.
"But Nigerians are not fools. They know those who are causing
distractions. They know those who are overambitious. They know those
who want to rule by hook or by crook. But above all, Almighty Allah is
waiting for those who plot against the Nigerian people, 'Verily your
Lord lies in wait' (Qur'an 89:14 Inna Rabbaka labil-mirsaad).
"Just yesterday Buhari reduced JAMB and NECO examination fees from
N5,000 to N3,500 in order to make it easier for children of the poor
to register for those crucial examinations. These and other welfarist
innovations of this administration further cement our conviction that
Buhari cares.
"Yet as we appreciate President Buhari's great contributions to growth
particularly the new police salary structure, we must ask for more,
just like Oliver Twist. The police still needs better equipment. Every
policeman should have a walkie-talkie and a pistol stuck in his belt.
Patrol cars should come at one for every two policemen. We also call
for improved welfare like life insurance scheme for the police.
MURIC also commended the Police Service Commission. "We appreciate the
Police Service Commission under the able leadership of Alhaji Musiliu
Smith. We can feel the commission's contribution in the recent
development.
"We call on the police to remember the old aphorism that to whom much
is given, much is expected. They should reciprocate with the speed of
light. We are in a season of change. Nigerians want action.
"In our closing remarks, we urge President Buhari to march on with the
change mantra. He should ignore all distractions and face the good
work that he is doing. We, the patriotic citizens of Nigeria who voted
for change have seen the change. We salute Buhari's doggedness. For
the umpteenth time, we declare that Buhari deserves a second term."
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