Police College:

Police College: TV documentary is a calculated smear campaign against this govt - Jonathan

by Isi Esene
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday paid an unscheduled visit to the Police College in Lagos to inspect the living conditions of the college recruits after a ChannelsTV  documentary detailing the state of infrastructural decay in the training facility was aired.
The president who was accompanied on the visit by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Mamaah Tsafe; the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Umar Manko and other military and air force officers, inspected the college hostels, kitchen, dining hall and the Officers’ Mess.
His unannounced afternoon visit unsettled the college authorities who were not expecting to see the president.
Apparently unimpressed by the documentary aired by ChannelsTV, the president demanded to know when and how the filming took place but could not get an answer from the commandant of the college, CP I.F. Yerima, who turned to his deputy and other senior officers for response – they all kept mute.
Jonathan reportedly declared the documentary by the TV station a smear campaign.
“This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of this government. The Police College, Ikeja is not the only training institution in Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, a crowd of recruits, who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the President, hailed him repeatedly for his visit.
Observers, however, see Jonathan’s visit as a window-dressing exercise demanding to see a marked improvement in the condition of living of the police recruits expected to protect citizens once they graduate from the college.