IGP: Gani Decries Exclusion of Igbo
By Davidson Iriekpen, 06.06.2007

Human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, has decried the exclusion of officers of Igbo extraction as Inspector-General of Police, 47 years after independence as a nation by successive governments, saying it is unfair, unjust and unconstitutional.
In a statement yesterday, Fawehinmi said “the leadership of the police has consciously or deliberately eluded the Igbos who constitute one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria".
Chronicling the roll call of occupants of the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria from independence to date, the Senior Advocate lamented that from the first, Mr. Louis Edet, to the incumbent, Mr. Mike Okiro, 13 in all, none was Igbo.
The human rights lawyer who said he was worried because he holds the unity of this country so dearly, added that the unity of Nigeria must be taken as a religion in the sense that not only should we believe in unity, we must be seen to be doing things to promote unity.
According to him, "firstly, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as contained in the Preamble is to establish equality and justice. This was contained in both the 1979 as well as 1999 Constitutions, a period of twenty-eight (28) years (1979-2007).
"Secondly, Section 14 sub-section (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1979 which is the same as Section 14 sub-section (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provides inter alia that:- '14(3). The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty.
“The point is that the fundamental law of the nation, has never supported, since 1979 the deliberate exclusion of the Igbos from the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force because Police is an integral part of the government of the Federation.”
He added that whatever may be the reason, or non-reason for the exclusion of an Igbo from an appointment as Inspector-General of Police cannot be right, noting that something should be done about it so that every Nigerian whatever may be his or her tribe or his or her religion is taken as a member of a united family of Nigeria.
"I asked myself: the exclusion of the Igbos from the leadership of the Police since after the civil war which ended in January, 1970, could that also be the reason? As a Nigerian, who was in Nigeria after the end of the civil war, the Eastern part of Nigeria, which was the main theatre of the civil war returned to the Nigerian family. Consequently, I believe that the exclusion cannot be ostensibly attributed to the civil war. But does that exclude the psychological effect of the civil war? Only those in power can answer that question," he added.
"The next person to Sunday Ehindero who retired on Friday, June 1, 2007 is Ogbonna Onovo who is an Igbo from Enugu State. He is a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG). If he was qualified to be a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), why should he not be qualified to be an Inspector-General of Police (IGP)? I demand an explanation from the Yar’ Adua administration".


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=80197&printer_friendly=1

this is what led to the last civil war, they better watch it.

His comment is only but polital correctness.

Come to think of it, Okiro is an Igbo man by tribe. Is he saying okiro is not Igbo?

Igbos should beware people who sow seed of discord amongst them. They should avoid people who would declare a republic 24 hours after Biafra is declared.

Let us all learn to live in one nigeria. It is the only country we have and can call our own.

This is not about whether Okiro is Igbo enough.

That Yaradua wants the next in line after Ehindero to take over from him and within 24hours did a summersault and decided to bypass Ogbonna Onovo demands some explanation.

We need to know whether ONOVO is incompetent and why the appointment of IG was handled in that manner.

This is not about trying too hard to be seen as a detribalized Nigerian. As long as such unprovoked injustices continue to stair us in the face the talk of UNITED Nigeria is no where near sight.

What is all this talk about?

If Gani is complaining of the exclusion of Ibos in Yaradua's cabinet, he should also single out other tribes who are not represented in the cabinet. I think this is a false/mischevious alarm, perhaps, intended for controversy. Gani completely blew this one, I am disappointed in him.

Maybe he should have queried OBJ why he did not fire Ehindero and appoint Onovo while OBJ was in power.

OBJ spent 8 years and no Igbo man was appointed IG yet Yar'adua has spent less than 2 weeks and we are being told that the Igbos have been excluded, wonderful.

NB; I do not believe that everything should be turned into an ethnic affair even though it is a fact that the Igbos have been excluded for such a post because of premature retirements which ultimately guarantee that none will be qualified to get into the position in the first place.

Funny enough, Onovo would have been retired some couple of years ago but for the dust raised by Ohaneze that it will take the Igbos some 10+years to get someone that may get to where he even got to today he would have been out of the police force today.

Same thing happens in the army right from the selection process as regards the NDA.

Afam the question is not whether Yaradua wants his kinsman as IG. Yaradua could have easily appointed Okiro as IG in the first place or even Dudari or Ringim.

But Why did he decide that 2nd in command to Ehindero should take over from him and do a summersault within 24hrs?
That is the question begging for answer?

McKren:

Afam the question is not whether Yaradua wants his kinsman as IG. Yaradua could have easily appointed Okiro as IG in the first place or even Dudari or Ringim.

But Why did he decide that 2nd in command to Ehindero should take over from him and do a summersault within 24hrs?
That is the question begging for answer?

I believe the president appointed someone he believes he can trust to work with.

OBJ appointed Victor Malu as the Chief of Army Staff even when he had a lot of seniors in the army so this is not unusual.

The key word here is appointment.

xtycod:

This Afam guy is a goat, a very big one at that.

Must you repeat what you hear your father call your mother all the time? Learn not to bring family issues to a discussion forum.

CAN SOMBODY IN THE HOUSE GIVE US THE PARTICULARS OF THE NEW GUY THAT HAS TAKEN OVER FROM SUNDAY EHINDERO TO ENABLE US DRAW SOME CONCLUSIONS HERE, BUT FOR YAR ADUA TO HAVE "SOMMERSAULTED AT NIGHT" LEAVES MUCH TO BE PERCEIVED, HE SHOULD BE BOLDER AND TAKE CONCRETE DECISIONS AND STAND BY THEM COME RAIN COME SHINE, Where is the new AIG from

Afam:

I believe the president appointed someone he believes he can trust to work with.

OBJ appointed Victor Malu as the Chief of Army Staff even when he had a lot of seniors in the army so this is not unusual.

The key word here is appointment.

No one is disputing Yaradua's authority to appoint who he pleases. There is nothing wrong appointing Okiro or even a police commisioner from Katsina or Zamfara if he so pleases.

What I dont understand and you have not helped explain is why Yaradua decided that Ehindero should hand over to second in command and do a summersault within 24hrs. That act is begging for explanation from the Presidency.

Afam someone, somewhere thinks ONOVO an Enugu State man like yourself is not Nigerian enough to be IGP. If you think the summersault by the Presidency does not deserve an explanation then you also share that view.

Mike Okiro is from EGBEMA, Imo State. His Late brother was the paramount ruler of the Egbema community. We should always endeavor to cross check our facts before posting.

Afam

makes more sense in analysing the issues, there are serious problems in terms of appointing Ibo's to position stemming from the Civil war and the continuation of 'We want biafra' mentality.

First we are one Nigeria and everyone should be equal to be appointed , selected or elected to any office in the country.

Tribalism is still going on and will continue. Onovo accoring to AFam should have been retired some 2 years if not for the influence of the ohaneze, even Ehindero was just kept there for good reasons not to change Ig midstream and tie the hands of the incoming administation and also Victor Malu is an Ibo man and in the highest military office.

Ambasador Aguyi Ironsi si the Minister of Defence during OBJ. I think this speaks volume that oBJ is much more fairer than we give him credit for. I think some people like Gani Fawehinmin may have points if he is talking about the presidency which I think should have gone to the South South at best if it hasn't gone to South East.

However, there are 2 problems as I see it, one is 'Biafra' question and the second is no leading Ibo man came out ahead of the pack during the primaries. There are very competent Ibo persons, the like of Nweke junior. Soludo. The ibo should be proud and just answer biafra question,

and presidency here we come.

I hope this 24hrs change of mind by YAr Adua is one off because it will raise issue of wisdom and competency on the part of our President.

May God continue to bless Nigeria and her people.

Truthman:

Mike Okiro is from EGBEMA, Imo State. His Late brother was the paramount ruler of the Egbema community. We should always endeavor to cross check our facts before posting.

Okiro is from Rivers state please, not Imo state.

xtycod:

This Afam guy is a goat, a very big one at that.

Big Obori

But its not fair. If we are one Nigeria, why should Yaradua appoint Okiro? He should have appointed the person who merited it and not this compensation issue. Like people said, that Obasanjo compensated Yaradua because of the brother who was poisoned to death in Jail. Why compromising things or issues that can cause problem? Well, l don't see good leadership behaviour to yaradua's negative decision on Onovo Ogbonna.

Let the best man win and GOD only appoint and anoint his people. If you guys recall Abacha did the same thing, The next in line senior police officer was supposed to take over the post of IGP and 24 hours later there was a change in direction. as far as I am concern ONOVO is not fit to be IGP go back and look at his tract record and compare him to OKIRO.

We should be more concern on who will be the CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF AND CHIEF OF AIR STAFF AND CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF. this are all post that will be replace with the current administration.

MAMAJAMA:

Let the best man win and GOD only appoint and anoint his people. If you guys recall Abacha did the same thing, The next in line senior police officer was supposed to take over the post of IGP and 24 hours later there was a change in direction. as far as I am concern ONOVO is not fit to be IGP go back and look at his tract record and compare him to OKIRO.

1. I dont think a present Nigerian wants our democratic government to take a cue from the Abacha years. His govt can not be a model for democratic govts to follow.

2. Tell us where ONOVO failed and how Okiro distinguished himself in that regard.

was ONOVO not a CP in NIGER DELTA AREA?, was he not the second in command to Ehindero in charge of administration? what part did he play in provide sanity in the police force? go to the force headquarters and speak to people that work with him on daily basis and hear what they have to say.

My Opinion OKIRO is a better candidate for this post, It's not about where you are from, we want results, and a leader with vision.

Good tell us about Okiro's magnificient performance that has helped revolutionized the Nigerian police.

Mamajama

It has been revealed how the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, promoted his sister, Idowu Ehindero, a few days before he was pulled out of the force.

P.M.News gathered that Ehindero promoted his sister who was a superintendent of police to chief superintendent of police on 28 May.

Sources said the former police boss was said to have backdated the promotion even though his sister was not one of those due for promotion.

It was further gathered that Ehindero failed to promote those recommended by the deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) and even the Minister of State in charge of police, Mr. Broderick Bozimo.

Sources said Bozimo had recommended his police aide, Mr. Kevin K. Zuokumor, a deputy superintendent of police to Ehindero for promotion because of his role in the rescue of some hostages kidnapped by some militants in the Niger Delta.

But Ehindero turned down the minister’s request and promoted his own sister and aide as well as other police officers instead

Reply my previous question and this news emanating about your idol.

see this is why I hate rumor mongers. did you know IDOWU EHINDERO was in training in the USA last year?

did you know IDOWU EHINDERO was on a peace mission? How long has IDOWU EHINDERO BEEN IN THE FORCE?

wasn't she a college GRADUATE?

Over 700 people was promoted by the former IGP why single handedly pick IDOWU Ehindero out?

When was the last time IDOWU was promoted?

I will furnish you OKIROs accomplishment in couple hours, keep watch.

Ehindero urged the Federal Government to urgently equip the officers and men of the Nigeria Police for them to be at par with their counterparts in other countries.
Ehindero, in an emotion laden voice said that the Police is lacking logistic support and had therefore become a source of ridicule and easily susceptible to attacks.
“The upsurge in militancy in the Niger Delta area, the increasing sophistication in bank robbery and the daily death of policemen demand that our policemen be well protected with body armour and armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
“It is not good enough that less than 20 percent of policemen are quartered in barracks. No police command can boast of two lorries; less than 5 percent of police stations have telephones, and less than five percent have walkie-talkies. The take home pay of a sergeant is less than N10,000 per month. Yet the society expects the same police force to perform wonders,” he said.
He decried the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the society stressing that between June 2005 to May 2007, over 8,920 prohibited firearms and 216,333 ammunitions were recovered in the country.
“No wonder policemen are daily loosing their lives in the call for duty. During the 2007 elections, about 40 policemen, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police lost their lives. The wanton destruction of police stations and barracks, (and) the killing of policemen must stop,” he said.
Ehindero listed some of his achievements in office to include welfare and promotions of 30,000 rank and file and 13,000 senior police officers including traffic wardens.


Out of the 40,000 people that was promoted. they single handely name IDOWU. what are IDOWUS qualifications?

McKren:

No one is disputing Yaradua's authority to appoint who he pleases. There is nothing wrong appointing Okiro or even a police commisioner from Katsina or Zamfara if he so pleases.

What I don't understand and you have not helped explain is why Yaradua decided that Ehindero should hand over to second in command and do a summersault within 24hrs. That act is begging for explanation from the Presidency.

Afam someone, somewhere thinks ONOVO an Enugu State man like yourself is not Nigerian enough to be IGP. If you think the summersault by the Presidency does not deserve an explanation then you also share that view.

My friend, not only is Onovo from my state our families are even close. Infact when I called my younger brother who was in Abuja yesterday he told me he was in his office. So, do I need any further explanation as regards whether I should be concerned or not about the politics of Nigeria?

When people like us complained that the Senators lost a golden opportunity to rememdy a lot of problems in our constitution by throwing away over 100 recommendations we were accused of supporting OBJ to get a 3rd term. Today we know better.

Meanwhile, today we have 2 christians as the leader of both houses of assembly no one is shouting Yar'adua is favoring muslims.

My dear, I really care less about people that look at everything through religous or ethnic prisms.

So, as regards your statement in bold, what you infer is flat wrong so the conclusion based on the wrong premise will not attract any response.

@topic,

All these appointments by tribe is killing our country! I expect to hear that no competent person has yet been apointed as Police IG and not that a particular tribe have had no shot at it. How many tribes do we have in Nigeria? Why particular mention of the igbos when there are hundreds of tribes, nations and dialects within the almagamation called Nigeria! Are the other tribes irrelevant? I can't believe that even a person like Gani is now paralysed by the WAZOBIA mentality! What is good for any of the major tribe is good for the least of the minority!

People will care less where the Police IG comes from as long as they are guaranteed security and non-harassment at home, work, play or in transit!

@Tayo D.thank you.what about other tribes we have in nigeria.

Wonderful response TayoD

Petty on Nigeria!!! Egbema LG in Rivers State is part of the Egbemma sub-group of the Igbo nation which was partially  carved out of Igboland during the biafra war and given to Rivers State in order to deplete Igboland of oil. Politics!!!!! Okiro is a typical Igboman OK!!!!! kai!!! The so called igbo haters think there're no igbos in the south-south. We have a very significant population in the south-south even if you exclude the ikwerres. igbo haters, when you appoint south-southerners, do a little research to make sure they're not Igbos 

Much ado about Okiro


Thursday, June 07, 2007 People and Politics
Ochereome Nnanna

ON Wednesday, May 30th 2007, former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, was ordered to hand over his post to the “next most senior” Deputy Inspector General. From records, it became clear that Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, the DIG in charge of Administration, was that person. But, by Friday that same week when Ehindero formally said goodbye to the Force, the formal instruction was that he should hand over to Mr. Mike Mbama Okiro, the DIG in charge of Operations.

This move ruffled quite a few feathers within the system. Some thought that the new regime of President Umar Yar’Adua, in making the decision, “bypassed an Igbo man” and gave the coveted position to someone from Rivers State. While some speculated that it was part of the administration’s continued effort to woo the South South and encourage the cessation of violence in the Niger Delta, others felt that the new leaders were continuing former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s perceived marginalisation of the South- East. Some even concluded that Obasanjo must have been behind the move.

LET me remark here that this mess was avoidable. Rather than ask Ehindero to hand over to the next senior officer, he should have been told to hand over to Okiro. Even though some people might still have grumbled that the bypass of Onovo was politically fishy, they would have recognised the President’s prerogative of making such appointments. Past Heads of State had tended to appoint their tribesmen to key security positions, including the post of IGP. In fact, it was the vogue to ensure that the service chiefs and key administration officials were from the tribe or region of the Head of State, perhaps, because it gave them a sense of security.

Many top officers in the forces were often retired to give way to the anointed ones. Even Obasanjo made sure that all three Police IG’s who served during the eight years of his regime were Yoruba, and retirements had to be conducted in 1999 to create room for this. When EFCC Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, was being touted as Ehindero’s successor, the stage seemed set for another round of retirements of top cops. It is, therefore, pleasantly surprising that (at least so far) the new regime is toeing former President Shehu Shagari’s line in giving the post to a competent policeman and not insisting that he must come from his geopolitical area. If this trend is continued in all areas of security and administration appoint-ments, people will no longer feel that their parts of the country are being kept out of the scheme of things.

It is important for us also to dispel the impression that Okiro getting it instead of Onovo amounts to the Igbo being bypassed. Even though some have speculated, in the past, that Okiro is Ijaw, the truth is that he is of Igbo stock.

He comes from Egbema, which was in the Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta Local Govern-ment Area of the old East Central State (ECS). When new states were created in 1976 by the government of General Murtala Mohammed, Egbema was part of the newly created Imo State. It was during the boundary adjustment exercise that followed that Egbema, an oil-producing area, was shifted into Rivers State, an action that some Igbo leaders, such as the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, felt was aimed at depleting Imo of its oil producing status.

Besides, Igbo-speaking people in Rivers and Delta are as Igbo as any other Igbo, just as Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara are Yoruba and Ijaw in Rivers and Delta are Ijaw. The boundaries that separate people are just artificial. Let people learn from the lessons of recent history. Former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, used to pride himself as a “Rivers man”, as if Rivers State is a tribe. But, as soon as he embraced the presidential race and looked like a real prospect, some Ijaw leaders, such as Chief Edwin Clark, started telling the world that Odili is an Igbo man, and that the agitation for a South- South president of Nigeria was not meant for an Igbo man masquerading as South Southerner! So, Okiro remains the first Igbo man ever to be appointed as the Inspector General of Police, for whatever it is worth.

On a more serious note, it does not really matter where the Police IG comes from. That he comes from a tribe does not prevent him from doing the bidding of his appointers neither does it propel him to carry out an obvious ethnic agenda. In fact, the best person to be used against a tribe or religion is a member of that tribe or religion. All three IGP’s under Obasanjo were Yoruba, and, yet, till date, the real killers of Chief Bola Ige are yet to be exposed.

WHAT we know about Okiro, from his exploits as the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, is that he is a tough crime fighter who does his job without creating undue political mess. He put area boys and the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in check in 1999 to 2001 without creating the impression that he was on an ethnic witch hunt. Okiro is also very media friendly, having come from the background of a student activist in his university days.

It is now left for him to show Nigerians the stuff he is made of. The way Okiro makes his bed as Police IG is the way he will lie down on it!

if we go by what the author of this thread has presented via the words of gani, i think we are digressing.
the question here is not only yar adua's inability to appoint onovo who is a family friend of afam rather gani is asking, after 46 years of independence, why is it that no ibo man has be able to occupy the post of IGP?
the question here should be, are there bases or qualifications for this post? if yes, has an igbo man within this 46 years qualified for this post? if yes, why are they not giving it to the igbos? again, one should be able to ask if there are still constitutional provisions for this posts? if yes, are these provisions been voilated or adhere to?
it is unfortunate that most of us here have failed to know that democracy constitutionally gives room for oposition and that is why the whole world support democracy.
this is a government that gives room for people's opinion and thereby creats room for criticism which from time to time serves as a wake up call to the government in power.
wether we believe it or not, from inception, man is a selfish animal so the issue of been tribalistic will remain but what we should be talking about is to what extent.
afam, a good example of a non tribalistic man in the forum had to call his younger brother when he had the news of the new igp and his younger brother coincidentally was in the onovo of a man's office the same time-wow! wonders shall never end.
that yar adua is 1 day in office will not make people not to air their views atleast that will make him remember that all eyes are on him.
clinton while he was in power was facing criticisms and that does not make him a bad leader and most of the people who criticised him might have voted him the best president of america.
please my people open una eyes and begin to know ur left from ur right.