Issues in Nigeria: how dangerous is Nigeria
I presently live in Lagos. My neighbourhood is cool, with medium to top earners, and we often get the luxury of uninterrupted power for a few days.
It's a less crowded, less noisy part of the island, and I even have the luxury of fresh air straight from the ocean only that the wind is often too strong, causing me to wake several times in the night because it hits the windows and shakes the roof just too much.
If you were to come and attack me right now, it would be me against you, except some neighbours chose to help, and they mostly help but don't try, I've got some belt in Karate, and I schooled in Delta, that's like the training ground for Street-Sense.
I do not have the emergency number of the police; neither will they come in time if I did call.
They have traffic and other hurdles that could prevent them from coming. And from experience, they are known to show up after a day or two when you made that call, and even then, you have to be careful, so they don't pin something on you to try and milk you dry.
If people in such neighbours can't depend on the police, what else could be said about those in beat-up neighbourhoods?
But this story is entirely different in some parts of Nigeria, for example, Bayelsa State. When I make that phone call, it takes only about five minutes for two or three police vans to show up for my rescue.
Part of the reason being that they have unofficial state-owned police, recruited from the regular police force. They are far more effective and reliable than the federally managed police.
There are talks about given state governments the power to own and manage their police force. Still, the federal government is worried that the ruling state government might have too much control over the police, using them to inflict pain on the opposition.
And I've lived in cities like Abuja, Akure and Jos where I did not need police because people seem calm and peaceful.
Security in Nigeria is entirely based on the part of Nigeria you're in, it's okay, manageable or worse based on your location.
I find Nigerians to be quite peaceful, what else would you say about a people who can't depend on the police but manage to live in relative peace and harmony?
You would be fine if you don't go out late at night. Don't display luxury in the wrong neighbourhood, and when out in the open, always go with the crowd; they're rarely wrong.
I am my police. My neighbour is my backup.
Comments