Reduce your salaries, it’s too much, Oba Akiolu tells senators

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has urged Nigerian senators to reduce their salaries and allowances as it is ‘too much.’

While speaking at a public hearing on a bill for an act to repeal the Police Act, Mr Akiolu also said the Nigerian Army has killed the efficiency of the police.

“It is the Nigerian Army who actually killed the efficiency of the police,” he said without giving further explanation on how.

Obviously reacting to a revelation by a senator some months ago that he and his colleagues receive N13.5 million as running cost monthly, Oba Akiolu urged Nigerian senators to reduce their salaries.

“The senate and the sponsor of this bill (referring to Senator Ibn Na’Allah) I was once a commissioner of police in your state and you are a police somebody, God will be with you. But tell your other members, go and reduce your salary, it’s too much.”

Speaking further, the king identified problems facing the Nigeria Police to include poor remuneration and pension, lack of training, government interference in affairs and poor conduct of junior officers.

He advised the Nigerian government to task multinational companies to take police welfare as their Corporate Social Responsibility.

“When I was on course in 2000, in my paper, I did recommend that apart from the normal allocations, part of the profit of the multinationals should be set aside for the police.

“The problem of the police is the junior police officers themselves. They have to change their orientation and the way they behave to the public. Majority of them. Two, the political class. The government will always want to put their stooges as inspector general.”

Mr Akiolu threw his support to a call that appointment of the IG should be done by the president, without Senate confirmation.

“When I joined the force as a cadet inspector in the 1970s, I prayed to almighty Allah that I do not pray to become an Inspector-General of Police because I will not take any post that anyone will come and dictate to me. The IG made mention of something about the Senate confirmation or something…I am in support of that.

“In addition, the police service commission can go back and think of four retired inspector-generals (who) can sit down with the members of the PSC to recommend who will be the IG.”