A police officer par excellence

Being both a police officer and a pastor might be a challenge for a morally malleable man. As the Americans would say, this is a "combo", but this time of malice. It's a real tool for turning to a potential evil. The combination of these two, given the type and nature of our society, provides a thick armor under which the greatest disguises could be perpetrated without hindrance, by any opportunistic soul who has neither chastity nor decorum.

It is about the courage and the character of a bogged man, who has not lost his head in front of the mound of a police force modulated miasma. A man begotten in the silhouette of the solemn spirit of Ijesha. A man patented in the pastoral praxis of a people ready for spirituality. A taxonomed man in a titillating tier of intact integrity and adorned with a dignity of dandy.

He is a man with a mission, even if he does not wear himself or see himself as such. Many see him as a revolutionary, he sees himself as a reformist. Many of us see it as a consciousness of and for the people. A source of hope for the desperate. A voice for the voiceless. To hear for the deaf and the poor. A defender of the righteous. A liberator of the trampled. A omen of balance. A guardian of justice. A defender of equity. A boost of confidence for the public.

He has incorrigible principles and is tough. He is very determined and reliable. He is unusually honest and sincere to a Nigerian police officer. He has always shown consideration, concern and circumspection. His meticulous patience goes hand in hand with his efficiency and effectiveness as a police officer. His seminal brilliance permeates all his qualities as a gentleman officer.

You could never derail the course of justice. His reputation precedes him. Never, never, ever, try to ask him for help to perjure the truth and perpetuate the injustice. Regardless of the nature of your relationship with him, you would be flogged and educated to the evils of injustice and the need to atone for transgressions.

You do not have to know him for help. As long as you have a real case, he will intervene on your behalf. He would never allow you to say more than "thank you". It would leave no room for a form of gratification, as infinitesimal as it is. Unless he is in a meeting, you do not expect to see him. It is very accessible.

His hatred for corruption is legendary. You would not dare go to his office to bribe him. You are looking for a difficult problem to manage. And no one is allowed to go to his home, except for close friends and family. If you are lucky to visit his house, you are not allowed to bring a gift, no matter how innocent he is. You are not allowed to make a separation gift, money or anything to his children, to his lady or to anyone in the house with whom you could have been in contact.

Pastor pastor. He speaks the conversation and walks the walk. His humility confuses his brothers. His simplicity serenates the members of his church. He is open and without judgment. It gives everyone a benefit of doubt. He believes in the innate goodness of man until you have proven that you do not deserve this benefit.

He is deep. Unless you have met him, you would have no idea of ​​his depth. A depth of spirituality. A depth of intellectuality. A depth of humility. A depth of integrity. A depth of inner strength. A depth of love and affection for anyone who crosses his path. It is imbued with a deep awareness of the deprivations of the poor and is propelled by the desire to become a vanguard of improvement.

He has astonished many people who could exert two worst professions while being able to build them through his character and his daily examples guided by clearly defined principles. His dedication and commitment to staying ahead are legendary and exemplary. He stood out as what to imitate and how to be imitated.

He is called Adebola Longe
That he became a distinguished police officer would not know and should not be a surprise. He could be himself and be true to his convictions and principles in an organization as complex as the Nigerian police force. Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) wrote the following extracts about him some time ago:

"Yes, he led the aluta forces to celebrate the overthrow of the NPN government on December 31, 1983, when the students were students.We had moved from Trenchard Hall to Dugbe through the door of the UI. Then we proceeded as follows: Obafemi Awolowo, brief stop in front of Dr. Olunloyo's house in Molete with songs and dances.

Bola and some of us talked to the students and other patriots who joined our processions. We then walked also through Idi Arere, Bode, Mapo, Oje, Agodi Gate before pbading through Total Garden, the Secretariat Road, Bodija, then back to UI Hall Trenchard Hall where Bola Longe addressed herself right in front of the famous Hall.

He was a very daring student union president who succeeded Shina Agunlejika as president in 1983, shortly after the 1983 general election that allowed for the re-election of Sheu Shagari. At that time, no student would ask for a mobilization fund, food allowances, transportation money, etc. before committing to a demonstration or a patriotic holiday. Our events and / or celebrations have always been spontaneous. No political patron beating drums or influencing students' thoughts and actions. Compare and contrast this beautiful time and those days of yesteryear with the current days of decadent student unionism.

Bola later earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, returned to take his master's degree in the same discipline, joined the police because of his penchant for reform, after having had a hard time in Nigeria's police force as a leader in politics. A student union. He then returned to the ONLY UNIVERSITY, this time to read Law, was admitted to the bar, became a pastor, served with you as a member of Uncle Bola Ige Think Thank alongside our Eggs, such as Tunde teachers. Adeniran, Tola Atimo, Uncle Yemi Farounbi, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Chief Bisi Akande, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, etc.

Bola makes his speech as a clbadmate, pragmatic pastor and preacher of words, family man and disciplined, dedicated and incorruptible police officer. Bola Longe has gone through the mills, shaped by the political and economic rigors of our homeland and he is always busy navigating the murky waters of our national life without betraying the trust of his benefactors, friends and badociates for temporary comfort or benefit. "

This is Bola Longe for you, a police officer par excellence. Like some of his ilk, he represents a beauty spot on the imposing and penetrating ugliness of an organization such as the Nigerian police, with a severely altered image.

© Rémi Oyeyemi.