Monday, December 5, 2022, the Secretariat of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) had a August visitor in the person of the then newly appointed Commissioner of Police(CP) of the state Police Command, CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara the 45th person to occupy that position in the history of the state.
CP Dankwara was posted to Edo State to succeed CP Abutu Yaro who retired from the force. CP Dankwara, was accompanied to the Journalists melting point by a horde of members of the State Police Command management team.
The new look Conference Room of the Edo NUJ where the Police team was hosted also had in attendance a large chunk of the core of media practitioners practising in the state.
As he marched in the lanky looking Commissioner of Police exuded a very warm and cordial smile on his face a sign that his coming is for the good of the two wings of Nigeria’s stakeholders – the media and the police.
Dankwara delved into his rich history of having a very beneficial collaboration with the media in all his postings across the country. He minced no words in stating that his success story in the police cannot be recounted without having a reference to the role the media played in whatever he does as he always ensured that the members of the acclaimed fourth estate of the realm are intimated of his actions/operations.
In his words: “To get a measure of success in whatever you’re doing you have to let the media into it. Their reportage will no doubt give you a good standing. The media is the best critique that you can rely on to measure how well you’re faring in any assignment.”
He promised to establish a lasting cordial relationship with the journalists in the state so as to achieve the goal of maintaining a crime free society.
Dankwara affirmed that it is a must for the media and the police to work in synergy if the war against criminals and criminalities is to be won while charging the journalists to always feel free to reach out to him in the course of discharging their constitutional role so as to make the task of policing easier to accomplish with a promise that any such call from journalists would be treated with quick dispatch.
The super cop and his team left the NUJ Secretariat that afternoon amid exchange of friendly banters with the journalists. Since that memorable day he has shown that he is a man of his words by ensuring that the media is informed about many of the activities of the Edo State Police Command.
Dankwara’s effort at peace building and fence mending with the media may unknown to him be thwarted by the action/inaction of some of his men who don’t know and infact do not care to know reporters doing a good job in letting the public know about the achievements of the police in Edo State.
He should place his searchlight on his media/publicity unit and set the ball rolling. The issue could be addressed by way of making the officers in that unit attend regular refresher courses on how to manage their department above grandstanding and cocky posture.
Some while back reporters were in rude shock to learn that a certain gentleman whose unbiased and friendly disposition was given a new posting out of the Command Headquarters. In this officer’s days in charge of media cum publicity of the state Police Command there was minimal complaints about his modus operandi.
What we have now is that a reporter’s near perfect delivery of his reports in line with the ethics of his profession does not guarantee his invitation to police assignments most of which are now done without formal announcement on the Police Interactive WhatsApp platform where the majority of reporters attached to the police beat are members.
That you know how to do your reports well could even stand against you as you are viewed as a ‘busy body’ who will not subscribe to being short changed.
