By: Joy Musa
In recent weeks, activist Omoyele Sowore and his allies have called for mass protests in support of Nigeria’s police force, citing poor pay and deplorable working conditions. While their intentions may appear noble, the strategy of instigating police action through protest is fundamentally flawed. The Nigerian police, like other public security institutions, are structurally bound to defend the interests of the state and the bourgeoisie class not the masses.
Historically, the police have never been instruments of liberation for the proletariat. Their loyalty lies with the capitalist-oriented democracy that sustains the ruling elite. Even if Sowore’s proposed protest materializes, it will not result in the police siding with the people to dismantle the capitalist state. The institution is designed to suppress dissent, not to empower it.
The Nigerian police force suffers from chronic underfunding, poor welfare, and systemic neglect. Officers are paid salaries that barely sustain them, with pensions as low as ₦35,000 per month. Yet, despite these conditions, the police remain loyal to the very system that perpetuates their suffering. Why? Because the capitalist state ensures their survival through control, not transformation.
The only viable path to genuine reform lies in replacing Nigeria’s capitalist democracy with a socialist-oriented democracy, grounded in Marxist philosophy. This transformation must come through insurrection, not negotiation. Once the capitalist structure is dismantled, public security institutions will be reoriented to serve the people not the elite.
Under a socialist democracy: The police will be accountable to the proletariat, not the bourgeoisie.Public security will prioritize community welfare over elite protection. Institutional reforms will be driven by collective ownership and democratic control.
This is not a call for chaos it is a call for justice. The Nigerian masses must recognize that piecemeal protests and appeals to the state will not yield liberation. Only through revolutionary change of voting through the ballots and ensure your votes count only then we can rescue our public institutions from decay under the APC led administration and align them with the needs of the people.
Let the police surrender not to the whims of the elite, but to the will of the people. Let them become servants of justice, not enforcers of oppression.
The time for socialist revolution through the ballots is now as we approach 2027.
