Police should emulate the good things my father did – Tafa Balogun’s son

Abayomi Balogun, the first son of the late former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, has urged the Nigeria Police Force to emulate the good things his father did while serving the country during his lifetime.

In an interview with Premium Times, Abayomi spoke on his father’s contribution to the Nigeria Police Force, and his legacies.

He said, “I do not want to sound like I am blowing my late father’s trumpet but I will also implore you as you go around Nigeria, meet any police officer who was in service while he was the Inspector General of Police. Ask them, they will be able to tell you from their own perspective, which will not be biased. Even if I know what people think about my dad, and what policemen think about my dad, saying it will look as if I am bragging.

“The mobile training school in Ila is there. He is the first IGP to bring females into the mobile force. Many things he had done. He made sure salaries were paid on time. I have encountered policemen and they tell me that my father promoted them. He did his best. The promotion he promoted officers was not his property, he just did his work diligently.

“As a people, we need to also respect the police. Sometimes, police can stop somebody on the road, you have to respect the police. It falls on both sides, both the people and the police.

“There are bound to be bad eggs everywhere but the police actually go through a lot for Nigeria. Being paid these meagre wages you expect them to stay on the highways at 2 a.m. at night while you sleep soundly at home.

“Of course, I believe in the police and I think just as the president has done in the past few months, they should try and improve their packages, which my dad strived for while in office: better, well-paid packages for members of the Nigerian police force and officers of the Nigerian police force.”