In an era where you find men and women of the
force in ill-fitted uniform, some of them ‘complementing’ it with rubber slippers or tattered shoes, Ngozi Conchita Braide, Deputy Superintendent of Police, would make anyone go grey with envy in her well-cut uniform, beautiful face and charming smile. Some persons have even crowned her ‘Queen’ of the Nigeria Police. A native of Okigwe, Imo State, she joined the Nigeria Police ‘against her will’ in 1996, as Cadet Inspector. But today, she is enjoying every minute on the job.
“I’m so happy to be a police officer. In my next world, I would want to be a police officer because this is a job that gives you the opportunity to know so many things and do so many things,” she told ICON. Indeed, she has attended several professional courses both within and outside Nigeria and was part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Operation in Liberia in 2006, where she was appointed the head of Finance Unit of the United Nations Police in Liberia.
The new Lagos States command spokesperson has also served with International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) between 1999 and 2003. While at INTERPOL, she was also attached to Organized Crime Division (OCD). From 2007, she worked at Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and Special Fraud Unit. While at the SFU, she was attached to Commercial Fraud Unit and later she rose to become the sectional head of Oil and Gas Fraud Section. So, when the posting to become the Lagos PPRO came, it was another call to duty.
And she is determined to make her mark. In this interview, the graduate of English Language from Lagos State University, and the 16th PPRO of the Lagos State command since the office was created in 1971, takes us through the journey of how she joined the police force, her experiences so far and how she intends to launder the image of the police in the state. Did you actually grow up with the mind of enlisting in the Police? No. As a matter of fact, I didn’t like the Police and never wanted to have anything to do with the police. Really, there was no attraction before I joined the police force.
It was my mum who was in love with the police. She advised that I should drop out of the school to join. After my secondary school, I was admitted to Abia State University to study English Language. I was just 17 years then. In my second year, second semester, my mother called me and said she would want me to join the police as a Cadet Inspector. I told her I didn’t like the Police but she encouraged me. My father objected and insisted that I had to finish my degree programme. But you know women, when they make up their minds on something, they find every way to push it through. Eventually, dad agreed with her.
That was how I joined the police in the second semester of my second year in school. Did you have a godfather or mother to assist you get in? I went for the interview without having any godfather or godmother. I was taken based on my academic performance and looks. Also, age was very much on my side. They looked at my result and saw that I was brilliant. At that time, to join as a Cadet Inspector, you needed to have six credits, English and Mathematics inclusive. I made five A’s and three C’s at a sitting. The panel was so impressed. They selected me from my state and then sent me to Lagos for the final interview. That was in 1996. Based on my performance and physical structure, I was eventually recruited into the Nigerian Police.
How would you describe your career in the force so far? Ever since I joined, the experience has been so wonderful and interesting. I’ve come to fall in love with the job. It wasn’t a career you chose on your own accord. So, didn’t you feel like quitting? At that initial stage in the Academy, several times, I felt like running away because the training was too tedious. I came from a middle class family where everything was provided for me. I never lacked as a child. I was not used to the kind of training that we were subjected to at the academy.
On hindsight I want to thank God for the experience at the Academy because it has made me what I am today. The leadership training, physical training, law courses and all others have produced the Ngozi that you are looking at now. Apart from that initial stage at the Academy, I’ve not had any regret joining the police. Did you anticipate you would get to this position that you are holding now? Yes, because I am a goal getter; and I know that this is just the beginning.
I’m not surprised that I am where I am now. When the appointment (as PPRO, Lagos State command) came, it didn’t come as a surprise. And nothing would until I get to the peak of my career because I always put in my best in whatever I do. As you know, hard work, dedication and perseverance always get rewarded.
The perception of most members of the public is that the police is corrupt and many of them are wicked because of the brutal killings some have witnessed or heard about. As the PPRO, how do you intend to correct this image? The problem is that there are some people who don’t see anything good coming from the police in this country, whether they are doing well or not. Such persons just see the negative part.
The simple truth is that the police is not the worst organization in this society. And we enforce the law. So, naturally, there are people who would not like us for that. It’s just like when you were in school, the teachers that would flog you when you committed any offence, no matter how little, you would dub ‘wicked.’ They would never see anything good about that teacher. Because we arrest criminals, prosecute them and so on, criminals do not like us. An incident where there are two people fighting, the complainant would always be on the side of the police while the defendant would not.
If you, as a policeman, is trying to investigate the matter and you are asking questions to unravel the truth, the criminal is getting more annoyed with you. I’ve been in investigations since I left the Academy. More often than not, you find criminals telling you lies. One lie would certainly lead to another. So, when you are debunking those lies, they get uncomfortable with you. They become aggressive and start shaking. That is understandable. What about a case of the people who are not criminals and are subjected to ill-treatment by your men just because they are in uniform or they are carrying the rifle? How do you ensure that the public really become friends of the police like we see written on postal in your stations?
Many people are our friend already. But there is a reform that is going on. The IG (Inspector General of Police) has come up with a vision and the mandate is very clear. I am working with a commissioner of police that has zero tolerance to crime. You would agree with me that Lagos is a big city that is prone to crime. But the commissioner has come and reduced the crime rate drastically. I am here as the PRO to change some of these things too.
The truth is that we try to be civilized in our approach to things. Unfortunately, the average Nigerian likes force. But then, we are civilized people and we are also cultured. We are here to protect the public. We are not supposed to be the enemy of the public at all. Since I became the PRO, my phones have always been ringing. I get calls from everybody. But some people abuse these privileges. Some people would call me and raise false alarm or give false information. Somebody called me some time ago and to say a car had just been snatched around Akoka bus stop. Immediately, I started making calls to our men to swing into action.
Funny enough, about five minutes later, the man called me again to say I should speak with the owner of the car. The owner now said that the car was not snatched but that his mechanic took it for repairs. These are some of the challenges that a policeman face. Taking you back to the question, we are supposed to be friends. If anything happens to any member of the public, they should be free to call on a police. But they should be careful to always get their facts right so they don’t raise false alarm. Having said that, we agree that there are few bad eggs amongst us but there is no organization without bad eggs.
The bad ones are always there but with this reform going on, you would see a new police force emerge In the course of doing certain investigations, have you had any threat-to-life experience? Yes, it has happened and I reported them to the appropriate authorities who later got them arrested and prosecuted. What they don’t know is that nothing debars me from achieving success. Did that experience not make you feel that this job is not meant for a woman? I mean, is it not tough for a woman? Tough on a woman? No way. There is nothing like being a woman.
When you have a passion for what you are doing, there is nothing like being a woman. This profession is not gender sensitive. You and the men are given equal training and if you don’t measure up to standard, even as a woman, you would not be in the police force. I have never faced any challenge that is peculiar to me. It’s just the normal challenge of you doing something right and somebody somewhere is not viewing it like that. I don’t belong to those who say it’s a man’s world because there is nothing I cannot do today in this job.
I have headed a lot of very tough positions. In Liberia, I was the head of finance unit for the whole United Nations Police Officers. I came back to Nigeria in 2007 after serving in different parts of the world before being posted to the Special Fraud Unit. How do you manage the men? For one thing, I don’t have any complex. I don’t believe a man is superior. You’ve been here for some time now and you’ve heard me relating with my staff who are mainly men. I believe God created both male and female equal. We also have equal opportunity to succeed. Most of the people working with me are men. And we received the same training. When I was in the Police Academy, we went for a mobile training course and there’s a rope through which you ascend to a rock.
This rope has no safety guard. It’s just you and the rope. You’d be told that your life is in your hands and if you leave the rope, you are gone. We were to ascend a rock and I can tell you that most men did not ascend that rock. We were like three or four women but I ascended that rock hanging on that rope. I did it. And we were the first set of female officers to wear trousers. It was during our passing out parade practice in 1996 that a DIG came and observed that we were very bright and young but she observed that we were not raising our legs very well because we were wearing skirts. She also observed that women in our sister agencies wear trousers. So, we were the first set to wear trousers and when we came out in 1998, people were impressed.
So, I don’t feel anyhow on this job. There is nowhere I cannot compete with men on this job. Vocationally, intellectually, I know about the job and I cannot be intimidated. Another thing is that on this job, it is either you are my senior or you are my junior. For my seniors, I accord them the respect they deserve. I also expect my juniors to accord me my due respect because discipline is the bedrock of this profession. If you are my junior, be it by just a few hours, you must respect me. I don’t condone indiscipline. So, you don’t believe it’s a man’s job. It’s not a man’s job. And I’m so happy to be a police officer. In my next world, I would want to be a police officer because this is a job that will give you opportunity to know so many things and do so many things. When I was in the Investigation Unit, I met a lot of people. Doctors would come to you with their problems; you’d solve medical problems and see yourself unveiling many things that you are not trained for. You’d see an accountant come and you see yourself dealing with figures.
So, it’s a kind of being jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-all. So, it’s not a man’s job. These days, we have female command CPs unlike before; and they are doing very well. So, I’m very okay. I’m very fit. Would you say being the first female PPRO is your greatest achievement so far? I don’t see it as an achievement. I see it as a posting that anybody qualified can get. I don’t see getting here as an achievement. Maybe when my tenure ends and I’m able to effect one or two things, then I can say I have achieved. I see my new posting as a privilege.
How do you combine your career with being a wife and mother? I am in love with my family and I am in love with the job. It’s not easy, especially now that I leave home very early in the morning and work till very late at night. The earliest I close is 9pm. But I’m trying so hard that nothing goes wrong. However, my family members understand. My husband understands that my schedule of duty has changed due to this posting. It’s all about understanding I understand that before you get married as a policewoman, you have to write a letter to the authority for approval. Is this still being practised and what is the rationale behind the order?
They still do it. As a policewoman, you have to be screened. You have to write an application that you want to get married and the application would be approved. You must state the profession of your spouse and the force intelligence unit will screen the person. This is to check if the person is of questionable character. But some people may say this is discriminatory against the women, as the men don’t have to go through this process… No.
That was how we met it and there is no clear reason for it. But you see, in our society, when a man marries a lady, it is the woman that has her name changed. She automatically becomes the ‘property’ of the man. He is in charge. As a woman, your man is the head and nobody can just come and take you just like that again. Nobody wants to leave a policewoman to marry a criminal or someone with questionable character that wants to use that woman as a front or cover. If any of your children wants to join the police force, would you encourage him or her? Immediately. I have a seven-year-old daughter right now.
When she grows and she likes what I’m doing, I would encourage her. And if I have a son tomorrow, I would equally encourage him When would you say was your happiest moment ever? That would be when I delivered my daughter, Valerie, in December 2004 at a hospital in Lagos. Honestly speaking, that day was my happiest and most memorable one. Having tasted the civilian life and being in the force where you are bound by some restrictive orders, do you miss freedom of the civilian life? I don’t miss freedom because to an extent, I am very conservative. Since I joined the force, it’s being work, work and work.
I enjoy the job What are your likes and dislikes? I like honest, straightforward, hard working, God-fearing, sincere, focused and transparent people. I dislike liars, unfaithful and dishonest people. With your busy schedule, do you still have time to cook for your family? Yes, no matter how busy, I still cook the food myself. Yes, I have a housemaid, but I do the cooking myself. Every month, I go to Oyingbo market when I want to do bulk purchasing, though my house help do assist with minor house chores. What would be your advice to any woman who is aspiring to get into the police force? The problem we have is that most women feel that they are the weaker sex and some don’t take their jobs seriously and men take advantage of that. When men feel that you are not doing well in your job, they take advantage of that.
What some women keep doing is shout sexual harassment, but it is only a woman who allows sexual harassment that is harassed. A woman should be bold, intelligent and firm. If you know what you are doing, nobody would harass you sexually. Sexual harassment is in all establishments but when the men try and see that you are a strong character, a firm character, they will leave you. Really, I think more women should join the Police Force because I’m a living example of what a woman can do. They will have no regrets.
When this posting comes to an end, what would you want Lagosians to remember you for? I am here to work in line with the directive of the IG and uphold the vision. We are here to make the people see the other side of the police; that we are not really as bad as we’re being portrayed. I’m here to build better relationship with the people so that we have better understanding of ourselves.
-The Sun
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