By Moses Omoregieva
The event was the closing of the 11th Biennial Police Games at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Abuja. The date was March 26, 2016.
Officials, athletes, invited guests and the cream of the Nigeria Police, both serving and retired were there. It was time to reward the athletes who excelled and encourage those who did not to aspire to win in the future.
Amid the pomp and pageantry that made the event one that will not be forgotten in a hurry was the presence of a former Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mustafa Adebayo Balogun, popularly known as “Tafa Balogun’’.
The announcement of his appearance at the Games’ venue took the celebrations at the closing to an enviable height.
It was so because like the saying goes: “It is only by the works of our hands that we shall be remembered’’.
There was spontaneous hailing of the ex-police boss with greeting like “Baba ooooo’’, “Fire for Fire’’, “The Peoples’ I-G’’, “The I-G We Trust’’, “The I-G We Love’’, We Are Your Loyal Officers’’, “The I-G That Will Never Die’’ among many other songs, backed up by the Nigeria Police Band.
Indeed his presence at the arena changed the mood of all, particularly, the athletes that performed poorly.
As the atmosphere became charged, it was obvious that the officers were full of excitement to have Balogun in their midst.with admiration that did not stop until he was ushered out of the VIP stand where he acknowledged cheers from the officers and men, led by the incumbent I-G, Solomon Arase, who also waited patiently with excitement.
Balogun is reputed to have brought innovations into the Nigeria Police in spite of the ominous manner in which he was removed from office by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo over alleged corrupt practice.
But both serving and retired officers agreed that Tafa Balogun’s record of performance as I-G has yet to be beaten and urged the incumbent government to tap into his wealth of experience in policing to check some security challenges.
They noted that the former I-G introduced women into the Mobile Police Force, started the Police Insurance Policy, Community Policing, and that fought inter-border banditry, particularly with the arrest of “Armani Tijani’’ and bringing a great relief to Africa.
Other achievements by him as accounted for by the serving and retired officers and men of the force included the elevation of graduates and traffic warden officers for the first time to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
He also established the Mobile Training School in Ila, Osun State, and the Computer College in Abeokuta.
Balogun also busted the ritual killings at the famous Okija Shrine in Anambra.
As a way of honouring the former police boss, the organisers of the Games made him to present a trophy to one of the three best zones,
which became the climax of the closing ceremony.
From the foregoing, one could only deduce that though he has retired 10 years ago, his impact on the force lives on.
Some notable retired senior police officers praised Balogun for his efforts as police chief, stressing that he brought life and confidence
into the force and the men.
Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, a former police officer, who was also a guest at the Games, praised Balogun for his promotion while in the force.
The governor noted that for Balogun’s promotion, he would have left the police a frustrated man.
A retired Commissioner of Police, Fulani Kwajafa, described Balogun as a personal friend with an excellent performance as I-G.
“The performance of Balogun as I-G was excellent. His performances could be likened to that of late I-G Sunday Adewusi. I rate him very
high. He does not take nonsense,’’ he said.
For retired CP Aghanya Ibezimako, Balogun is a leader with guts and intimidating personality.
“Balogun is a good listener; he commends you when you project the image of the force. He stands by you when he assigns responsibility to you.
“When you make genuine mistake, which is common in the Police Force, he never abandons you. In a nutshell, `he does not throw the baby away with bath water’.
“In all police functions I have attended, including the last Police Games this year 2016, burial ceremony of late I-G Sunday Adewusi, it was thunderous ovation for Balogun by all ranks when he appeared.
“This is a manifestation that he is loved by a majority of serving and retired policemen,’’ Ibezimako said.
Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Kieran Dubari, said that Balogun was a fine officer that carries everyone along in his
policies and programmes.
“I-G Balogun , retired, is a detribalised police officer. His policies favoured majority of officers,’’ he said.
For retired DIG Marvel Akpoyibo, Balogun is one of the most intelligent police officers the Nigeria Police Force has ever had.
Akpoyibo said the former I-G was an operational and proactive officer, with uncommon knowledge of the law and police duties.
“During his tenure as I-G, he terminated stagnation in one rank for many years. He left a legacy of efficiency, hard work, resourceful and goal-oriented policing.
“He brought profound reformation to the force that everyone could see that he is a good administrator. He was every body’s I-G and a crime buster.
“The police will never forget Balogun due to his contributions to the security of the nation.
“He is highly detribalised, a man of fairplay. He left a wonderful legacy for other I-Gs to emulate,’’ Akpoyibo said.
The wife of former I-G, Hajia Amina Kam-Salem, said that Balogun’s experience as security expert should be harnessed by the Federal
Government to tackle some of the current security challenges in the country.
Kam-Salem, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari for a Presidential pardon for Balogun, over the alleged corruption case that saw him spend time in a Nigerian reformatory.
Referring to Balogun as her son, she said that he had done the uncommon while in the force and could still do more if given the opportunity.
According to her, such gesture by the president would push the ex-police boss to contribute to various security challenges in the
country, including police reforms.
“Balogun is a seasoned policeman. My family will remain grateful to him for his generosity to us when he was I-G between 2002 and 2005. We left office in 1975.
“Tafa Balogun came in as I-G 27 years later. There were other I-Gs before him, they did not remember me and my children until Balogun came on board.
“The police authorities owed me several million of naira from contract for supplying food stuffs to the police college.
“It was when I cried to him that he ordered that I should be paid,’’ she noted.
It is instructive from the above accounts rendered by people who know him that public office holders should strive to live their footprints in the sands of time for with such one can be immortalised.
The biennial police Games, which lasted for about two weeks, from March 19 to March 26, 2016, saw Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, comprising of Lagos and Ogun states winning a total of 231 medals.
They dethroned Force Headquarters that finished the Games on second spot with 159 medals. (NANFEATURES)
**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN
