The Nigerian Police And The 20 Naira

No matter which way you look at it, corruption is dishonest. Ask most people whether they think they are dishonest or not and I guess that you will find the most common response to be: "Who me, never!" The irony is that if you then ask whether or not they have received expensive gifts, entertainment, overseas trips and the like, some of them may very well have done so. This is what is defined as corruption.

The Oxford dictionary says that, "corrupt is when you are willing to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain." This then includes personal gain in the nature of any type of expensive gift which one could not afford oneself or even heavily discounted purchases. Like perhaps motor vehicles?

On another level, 20 naira bribe collected by the Nigerian police on the road is just a piece of the pie in Nigeria.  Government officials and ministers are awarding billions of dollars contracts daily and are expecting kick backs.  The issue of bribe is not just within the police force, this is an epidemic that has eaten deep into Nigeria civil service and needs to be address by the government.

hi,

for me? Corruption is a Nigerian. He has come to stay. I know we should be positive about our country, but all the same, you know things are not working out.

I had this experience some 3wks ago: on a journey from lagos to Abuja, we were stopped by the usual 20naira gurus. The policeman goes "o boy, wetin you go drop", and the driver goes "abeg, this one na my first trip, i never get anything, when i dey come back i go see u". The policeman replies "that one na story o,,,,,oya park, park, park......", then the driver said.i no get change now, na only 5, 500 i get. So the olopa says, "bring am, i get change"

the driver gave the olopa a hundred naira note, then parked his car, got out and went to collect change. he came back with 4-pieces of 20-naira notes. I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Corruption is a Nigerian citizen, as far as im concerned.  For me, when one is sick in the head, the rest of the body is sick.

As for the police/armed robber thing, I see no difference. They are basically the same to me. Those who steal from others without their knowledge, and those who take it by force, over or under the table, its all the same. Yes odeku, ure right

we are just wallowing in the miry clay.

Something happened to a member of our church sometime ago....they(husband and wife) in their car going to Abuja.....somewhere before Abaji i guess, they were stopped by a band of policemen in uniform, and then the usual show me your license thingy, and then before they knew it, more men came out of the bush.....the man in the car, just catching a glimpse of what was about to happen quickly tried to speed away from the scene o, thats how these armed guys began shooting o(from the front passengers side). long story cut short, they survived, but its as if they came out of hell.

the woman had 15gunshots on her head and body, the man was shot, but not as much as the wife, since the men came out frm the bush on the right hand side of the car, he made it to gwagwalada where he collapsed and rammed off the road. thank God for some good samaritans who rushed both of them to the hospital and later to national hospital..........

now, all those hoodlums were in Uniform........

o boy c0dec, its not the issue of been paid well o, honestly. Even if they are paid a million bucks each month, it doesnt matter o, these guys are bad, just bad.

Imagine if you get enlisted into the policeforce, by just "zo muna" i mean come here in Hausa, what else can you do? 3/4 of these kind of peeps had no training, they are just wearing the uniform. Imagine a policeman arguing with someone and saying "if i kill you nothing will happen"....can such a person protect someone.have you ever seen a reasonable child of a policeman.they would always have some ?s

here: i saved this one in plain text  from www.ngex.com sometime ago, the site isnt updated anymore, i don't know why:

20 Naira Policeman
Submitted By:

Each day is a 20 Naira day
for the Nigerian Policeman,
each vehicle, a potential prey,
so break all the laws you can.
They stand at the corner of the street,
eyes roving, alert as a cat,
they are waiting with clenched teeth,
ready for all, whether lean or fat.
 
Make sure you have the 20 Naira note.
Fold lengthwise, slip between you fingers,
your left hand hanging from your window - afloat,
be quick about the financial transfer,
as if you just gave him a handshake
he'll look the other way and you're free
you have given him his piece of cake,
and you have your cup of tea.
 
Its no secret, its common knowledge:
"make una give am 20 Naira, make we go"
a passenger says as if it was the pledge.
I look in a wander, to and fro
if he'll give it, if he'll take it,
and quickly the exchange was made,
eyes read the mind, the mind reads the eyes,
daylight corruption - not in a shade.
 
Extortioners,
claiming to be looking for robbers,
trotting guns in full army gear,
asking "are you the owner of this car?"
They'll stop you if your car is new,
and if old, they'll think you're a runaway jaguda,
their case is a hot pot of stew
but 20 Naira gets you out, fast and clear.
 
At every 10 minute drive on the highway,
a roadblock - a 20 Naira toll gate,
going into greedy pockets, day by day,
The "friendly faces" are primary bait,
they'll charge you for what you never did,
a summary offence is what its called
when you refuse to pay the 20 Naira bail.
 
Conscience? where is their conscience,
as they put 20 Naira bribe food on the table,
pay their bills and send their children to school.
How will God bless those innocent kids,
reared with the 20 Naira bribe,
how can they become responsible citizens,
life father like son, like mother like daughter.
 
Its a shame, its a mystery
who will deliver us from this miry clay,
if you don't give, you'll be harassed,
if you do, just to save your neck
they are encouraged in their evil deed,
we are caught between a wall and a rock,
so why won't people break the law
when 20 Naira spells freedom.

When did the police upgrade to 20 naira, i thought it was still 5 naira sha.

@ doshbass

that your thinking na UK thots only. be like say uve not stepped nija ground zero for a while. They have upgraded since....welcome to nija. In fact, the 20Naira is just for the road-warriors within the city...anywhere u are.

if you are travelling and u take all this their danfo. 504SW etc, u pay 20Naira to the smallboy's standing on the road wherever you dont see a fire-for-fire Jeep or pick-up-van packed at either roadsides. If there is one of such, the norm is that the driver usually parks and usually goes to "see" the Oga patapata at the back of the Jeep. That one na 50Naira o, no be just 20.

In fact, the current situation is that the driver has to open his hands first so that olopa will see what he wants to collect, before deciding if/if not to collect. You know before, they'll just slap their hands together as if it was a handshake so no one will see. Now, before the driver takes off on a long journey(Lag-Kano) for example, he gets ready his "change" usually under the carpet of the front seat.

they dont only have to give a portion.

its a formal process: you apply to be posted to the roadblock, with a promise that u'll bring back ?naira. The highest bidder wins.
Although some sha are posted there out of punishment.

Nobody should condone corruption at any level,the Nigerian police has really taken a sad turn,the other day i was opportuned to see a real case of shame by the police,my car was stopped and in front of me a bus was also stopped after the conductor settled the olopa,the conductor asked for change from the police officer and behold the olopa helped him change the 500 naira note to bits of 20 naira,which time police turn market woman wey dey change money for conductor??   It is really bad what the police men do,but i dont hink that is only the injustice that is being meted on Drivers,the Area Boys alias Agberos have turned the whole bus stops to point of collections.It is really sad and i think the whole security system should be over hauled even the Army take part of this shameful act.  

have we forgotten that some police officers rent thier machine guns to armed robbers, and in most cases they turn out to be the armed robber themselves. I am sure some armed robbers give the police notice that they are going to operate in a certain place, and give them some fat cash. Isnt this another level of corruption.

Thank you, the problem is not with the pay, this practice of corruption is acceptable every where in Nigeria, regardless if you are the police collecting bride or the patrons giving the bribe.  the government has to be involve in all level of v civil service in the country to be able to reduce bride or completely eradicate this actions.

if you pay them good and provide them with good housing, it won't stop bribery but it will reduced it drastically, and that will be a major step

oh oh oh...is it now that Nigeria is becoming aware of this? - not to sound ridiculous - but in Cameroon, well let's just say it has become so normal, part of daily life so much so that when they dont collect what they term 'their dues' it generally goes on the news! Now ssshhhh, dont say i told you that!

It is o! and that is africa for you.....backwards ever - forward never. to put it plainly.

I can see a lot of us saying that the reason for the corruption is because of the poor-salary package of our policement. Honestly I dont think so. Yes, we can but agree that it may contribute to their "badness" permit me to use the word, but all the same I think people of their calibre(who should have taken an oath to serve the nation) should not have descended so low to to point where the whole situation is now.
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culled from: http://www23.brinkster.com/gains/poem.asp?ID=79
(Inspiration: a heart to heart talk with a policeman)
DADDY POLICEMAN!!!

Six families living in a four-bedroom flat,
Daddy is lucky to get the largest allocation:
'the garage is his government accomodation'.
Each daddy&mommy each have four kids to boot -
daddy is in police-uniform, not in a suit.
So 36-faces go in and out of the same door,
Did I hear a toilet congestion or......
don't some just make do in a nearby-bush?

Two children from two different mommys,
looking alike, but claiming to have different daddys
is it just a coincidence?......
or there has been 'a series or a sequence'
of one daddy doing some extra-time of.....
while the other daddy is away on night-duty.
It is a hard life for daddy policeman
in this part of earth, where such live in a can.

Government budget for police-gear: released,
but officer, 'come and buy your own uniform',
to serve your fatherland in the heat of the sun,
buy your beret, belt and boot,
or else you do your job barefoot,
To be a policeman, would I choose?
theres nothing to gain, I got all to loose.

Daddy is sick but can't take a leave,
2-days max for him to be healed or heal himself,
else whenever next he reports to work,
he'll end up in that guard-room with a lock.
Daddy is a policeman and he's in prison,
absence due to sickness is the reason,
and dismissal from service will be the cost,
when armed robbers visit his duty post.

Promotion list has been out 3-months ago,
Daddy went to check his name - unofficial,
if he 'drops something', it becomes official,
else a faster bird might just catch his worm,
and all Daddy will do is to sit and mourn.
12-years on a single grade-right?
and daddy doesn't sleep home at night,
coz he's a policeman - on night duty.

"Na only Oga dey enjoy oh",
no be new recruit wey no get liver,
Oga lives in Asokoro,
new recruit lives in a koro-koro
JJC might just become a duster,
used, abused, he'll be forgotten in a corner,
where he'll learn to survive, collecting twenty-naira.
"Rain-fall from Heaven no dey reach ground oh",
daddy is tired of his job, he has no choice,
to complain? to whom? he has no voice,
doom yourself and report police injustice.

Donkey years in service for fatherlands cause,
daddy can't even build his own house,
no staff bus, no car, only a motor-cycle,
to get it on the road is so much a trouble,
so many ups and downs, can't pay the bills,
from one debt into another for the kill,
his monthly salary evaporates into creditors hands,
daddy found nothing in the sky, he looks at the sand.

No wonder, daddy won't risk his life,
when armed robbers arrive, daddy runs away,
dismissal from service is worst, so let come what may,
coz if daddy looses his life while he fights,
no one will say daddy did anything right.
3-weeks, and fire-for-fire will drive mommy out,
out of government accomodation, shes now on her own,
-who cares for he who dies in the line of duty.

Soon,frustration begets anger,
daddy-lawkeeper has become a danger,
to the hapless civilians, fearing those in uniform,
who harrass every motorist who goes and comes.
But daddy really has to make two ends to meet,
so he demands 20-naira at night, on the street,
20-naira in 20-places is a lot of money,
in the morning, he gives some dividends to mommy.

Na so life be oh, na so life be oh,
na so life be for daddy policeman,
how his pickin fit go school? fit know book?
when daddy dey collect 20-naira chua chua,
with six-people in a car, raining curses on daddy head,
and today is just the first day of this week.
From frying pan into the fire is his way of life.

Daddy no fit buy school bag for junior,
mommy no fit buy school uniform for junior,
then principal go send junior back home:
"tell your father to come and pay your school-fees",
then daddy go come dey prostrate for principal
"Abeg sir, allow my son to go to school",
principal go look daddy from head to feet,
he says "see yeye policeman
"wey no fit train his child for school",
daddy policeman just lost his respect.
Oga principal goes home and junior becomes a story.
But how daddy policeman fit train his child,
when money no dey for pocket?
push him to the wall, he'll jump over,
daddy policeman soon becomes an "armed robber",
- no sweat, hes not new with the gun,
one evil plus one evil makes two-evils,
na so life be oh, na so life be oh,
na so life be-oh for daddy policeman.

Well
I believe that Nigerian Police are really really suffering from lack of Fund from the F.G, which have left them with nothing.
Their salary is not attractive at all and come to think of it; they have brought down their Respect and they are now regarded as Criminals by the General public.
Well 20 Naira is the worst situation they can find themselves in and it show how poor they have become. Quite Unfortunate.[flash=200,200][/flash]

They are discarded by the General public even they've become the worst enemy of the masses rather than becoming Crime Fighters or Friends to the Public.

picture this scenerio, you send your child to the best of schools ,give them the best of training  investing your hard earned naira on him or her, then one primary school drop out, who was fortunate enough to be accepted into the police, comes along and guns your child down just when he is supposed to go for service (NYSC)(heard it on newsline 12/02/06) The nigerian police are not only corrupt, they are murderers if only you knew how many lives they have cut short!

maxflame that is disgusting what satisfaction will you derived from killing another soul?  though we may not like Nigeria police, but police brutality is common in the state, the Nigeria version is extortion