By Gideon Njoku
The hearts of hundreds of unemployed youths have just been broken by the Federal Government.
When the FG, on January 23, ordered the Police to begin a nationwide recruitment into the rank of constables thousands of unemployed youths rejoiced. Their hopes were raised. Seeing that recruitment, for sometime now, has become, almost, the exclusive of the military, the Police and the para-military, expectations were high that with the President’s order, at least, 10,000 of the youths could be off the unemployment market, become gainfully employed and, most important, help secure their communities.
The FG ordered the recruitment for Community Policing to checkmate, even if not to completely curb, the unbelievable insecurity ravaging the country. Banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, the lot.
So, on the FG’s order, and the confirmation from the Police Inspector General, thousands of the unemployed dusted their certificates.
Ordinarily, recruitment into the rank of Constables is reserved for WAEC and NECO certificate holders only.
But because of the unemployment situation in the country, University and HND graduates were also warming up for the recruitment.
But suddenly, their hopes have been dashed.
The FG and Police authorities say the enlistment is voluntary.
But that’s not the problem. The problems are: there will be no salary for anybody so recruited; the job will be pro bono; and it is only for professionals and those already employed.
The unemployed has no chance at all. And it is open to adult volunteers not older than 50 years of age.
Confirming that the recruitment will be for the employed only, the Ebonyi state Commissioner of Police, Sola Awotinde, in a published report disclosed that the job is not for the unemployed.
His words: “It is not a remuneration-based job. It is voluntary. It is just going to be like the Special Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
“It is for those who are gainfully employed or self-employed. There is no salary for anybody in the Community Policing scheme. People are misconstruing it to mean another job opportunity, and I have received so many calls over this.”
But a number of youths who spoke to this magazine are not impressed. They are accussing the FG of being economical with the truth when it first ordered the recruitment.
Balogun, a 22-year old National Diploma holder, told The Source: “Nobody talked about its being a non-payment job when it was first announced. Why did they not say so from the beginning. It is so sad. My hope of joining the Police has been dashed”
Another young man, Andrew, was of same opinion. Angry, he said, “This country is full of sh.t. How do they expect anybody to be spying for them for free? They are not serious. No youth will do that”.
Not a few people think the programme was hurriedly cobbled to take the shine off the Operation Amotekun,a security outfit, recently launched in the South- west, and over which the FG is uncomfortable with. Why did they not announce it before now?, they ask.
The SW had set up Operation Amotekun to checkmate the insecurity situation in its region. But through the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Hon Malami, SAN, the FG had declared the outfit illegal, and has, since been in discussions with the Governors to sort things out. The SW is not likely to back-down. Other zones are likely to do same.
On Wednesday, a Northern group announced the setting-up of a regional security outfit called Operation Shege Ka Fasa. At the time of writing this, there has been no reaction to this by the FG.
As it is, there is the unlikelihood that the recruitment of volunteer- constables will record any success, at least, in the SW. The people would rather join the region’s local security outfit where they will be paid the minimum wage.
