He has done so much to radically improve on
the image of the police in Cameroon. But he must do more by annulling the
scandalous entrance exam into the National Higher Police College in Yaounde. He
should also avoid victimizing his collaborators of goodwill
By Douglas A. Achingale
 |
| DGSN MbargaNguélé, dont soil your bright image |
Martin Mbarga Nguélé is a household name in
Cameroon; a name that inspires hope and confidence in citizens of this “land of
promise”. To many, the name is somewhat synonymous with discipline within the
police corps. He was in charge of managing this corps sometime in the past, and
he did it so well that even after he had gone on retirement President Paul Biya
sought his services once again. It dawned on the President that this feisty,
sprightly dude was the one needed to bring sanity to the police corps which was
likened at the time to a house where scruples were out of currency; a house
that repulsively reeked of filth. Reason why he called him back to take the
same position that he had earlier occupied even before Biya became Head of
State.
Mbarga
Nguélé’s second coming has thus brought overwhelming joy to the collective mind
of Cameroonians. Although he is advanced in age, younger, zestful and ebullient
compatriots can hardly question his competence as far as managing the police
corps is concerned. Truth be told, he is one of the few – very few – old people
in public offices today who work in a manner so exemplary as to make
Cameroonians proud.
For
the four or so years that he has been at the helm of the Cameroon Police, there
has been a visible transformation of elements of the force. From their
appearances through their work attitude things have changed and tremendously
so.
No more faded uniforms
It
was not uncommon at first to see some security officers going about in faded
and even threadbare uniforms. Those of them who did so were clearly a disgrace
to the corps. Such shabby outfits smacked of indiscipline and irresponsibility
as the uniforms did not reflect the police officers’ huge monthly salaries and
perks. In fact, they looked like people who did not earn a salary at all. The
reading many made of this was that the security men in question had no respect
for the corps they represented.
It took no time for MbargaNguélé to put an
end to this chaotic way of dressing when he came on board. He prescribed new
and clean outfits for his “boys” and “girls” as well as sanctions for
defaulters. Today even those policemen and policewomen whose homes are nothing
short of pigsties are clean and presentable in public.
Intra-city checks to ease traffic
congestion
That
is not all. The pre-MbargaNguélé era were also characterized by rampant and
indiscriminate police checks along the streets of major towns and cities in the
country. Checks are generally not bad, especially if they are truly meant to
curb insecurity. But the police boss was not oblivious of the fact that his
“boys” took advantage of them to not only disturb the peace of Cameroonians but
also extort money from vehicle owners and other road users. He did not
therefore hesitate to prohibit checks of this nature except when they are
overly necessary.
Now,
the police are placed in all the strategic areas of these towns and cities
expressly to control traffic. This has gone a long way to ease traffic
congestion which used to be nightmarish and baneful to city dwellers.
Aggressions in taxis:A thing of the past
Furthermore,
aggressions in taxis – be they nocturnal or diurnal – used to be commonplace,
especially in Yaounde and Douala. However, since Mbarga Nguélé took over the
helm of the police corps, this phenomenon has reduced drastically. In fact, it
has become almost non-existent, thanks to the police boss’ mobilization of his
“boys” in ways that thieves and miscreants do not identify them easily.
These are some of the giant strides Mbarga Nguélé
has made to reform the sector he heads. And they are the things that have
rendered his image radiant in the eyes of his compatriots. Nonetheless, thanks
to an unpopular act he committed not too long ago, the workaholic
policeman-cum-administrator now seems unwaveringly determined to besmear that
image. This has to do with the scandal around the last entrance examination
into the National Higher Police College whose results are still awaited.
Exam that disfavoured Anglophones
Despite
the virtues he preaches, Mbarga Nguélé practised a most annoying vice when the
said competitive exam was being sat. He allowed Anglophone candidates to answer
a wrong question as its translation from French was very poorly done.
How
on earth could the seasoned administrator allow such a thing to happen? Does
Cameroon not have an avalanche of equally seasoned senior translators who could
do the job? Shouldn’t he have ordered for the immediate cancellation of the
exam immediately it came to his notice that the question was poorly translated?
How on earth would the Anglophone candidates be evaluated? Isn’t this a
deliberate mockery of the English language in particular and Cameroon’s
bilingualism in general?
If
the results of the exam are not yet out, many months after it was sat, then
there is glaringly a big problem. The police boss should therefore delay no
further to annul the exam! Let him stop giving lame excuses that they are still
deciding on the issue of regional balance and all what not. That is sheer
hogwash! When have the results ever been awaited for so long a time? The exam
was launched because Cameroon needed a number of elite policemen and
policewomen, especially at this time when the country’s security is greatly
threatened by a set of ragtag miscreants known as Boko Haram.
Controversial punishment of an honest
collaborator
Another
thing MbargaNguélé should avoid doing is to victimize some of his collaborators
who do honest hard work. Such was what he did recently when he suspended a
senior police superintendent, Helen Dina Essoka, and proposed to the Head of
State to relieve her of her functions. The latter’s crime was that she opened
an investigation into the prickly issue of land grabbing in Fako division,
which investigation led her to the doleful discovery that some top government
authorities in Yaounde as well as some local administrative and police
officials were deeply involved in the mafia.
The
investigator had expected, as it were, to receive the felicitations of the
police hierarchy for a job well done. However, contrary to her expectation, she
was served a slap – a mortifying slap – in the face. Not only did she receive anonymous threats on
her life, the desperate lady was suspended from her duties; she went for 15
long months without a salary! Not able to bear the discomfiture any more, she
resigned.
Again,
MbargaNguélé should avoid soiling his hands in such a scornful and shameful
way. If he does not, his fall might be even more tragic than that of the hero
of the Humpty Dumpty fable. And if ever he crashes, not all the existing police
commissioners and superintendents and officers would be able to put Martin
MbargaNguélé together again!
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