Online comedian and actor, Debo Adebayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, says the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has no wherewithal to bring about the much-needed reform in the Nigeria Police Force.
Mr Macaroni, who is one of the known faces and voices of the #EndSARS protests sweeping across the country, said the rot in the police existed under the nose of the present IGP and it would be impossible for him to bring about the change demanded by the youths.
The activist also said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over the last couple of days, has not demonstrated that he is “on top of the situation.”
According to Mr Macaroni, had Buhari been in charge, he would make it a duty to address the nation and give daily situation reports.
For about two weeks, youths have been demanding an end to brutality and extrajudicial killings by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Adamu had scrapped the police unit and announced the Special Weapons and Tactics as a replacement.
The IGP also said about 1,850 SWAT officers would beginning training today while pledging that the Force was committed to a better policing in the country.
But Mr Macaroni while speaking on a television programme on Sunday evening said no tangible reform can happen under the present IGP.
“Forget about the Special Anti-Robbery Squad thing, SARS is a menace. It is a threat that is going on in the country and that is why we are calling for a complete reform of the police force.
“There is so much impunity and it reeks from the very top. We are saying we are tired of these things and the things that we are tired of is still the same thing that you are doing and you want us to believe that you are listening to us?
“The government said a reform is in progress. Who is supervising this reform?
“This menace – started then but people are crying now – under the nose of the Inspector-General of Police. Now, the Inspector General of Police is still in office, he is still the one to supervise the reform. Are we talking here?”
When asked why it was important for the President to address Nigerians, the comedian said,
“Why is it important for the President to be President? If tweets can do it and if those clips once in ten days can do it, why don’t they keep that same energy during elections?
“During elections, you go from place to place, from state to state, from local government to local government and you promised the Nigerian people that you will do better than your predecessors.
“So, when you are in a state like this where your people, those people you have promised to take care of, are crying to you, you have no business sending tweets to us. Your business is to give us situation reports every day if you are on top of the situation. If you are actually on top of the situation, every day, you tell us the steps you have taken.
“But you are there sending tweets and telling people to calm down. Is that how you were elected into government?”
Meanwhile, a media aide to the President, Tolu Ogunlesi, said so far, the government has demonstrated good fate in meeting the five-point demands of the protesters.
Ogunlesi, who spoke on a different television programme last night, said it was unfair for people to say that the government has not done anything in addressing the demands of the youths.
“I don’t think it is fair to say government has not done anything or is not doing anything.
“Never before has police reform been so high on the agenda of any government since 1999.”
