The decoration of Tunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General of Police by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not just a win for professional growth; it is the final, fragile lifeline for a digital economy that is tired of being extorted by its own government. If Disu fails to institutionalize the professionalism he became famous for in Lagos, we are not just looking at another failed police term, we are looking at the permanent migration of Nigeria’s best technical minds to countries where a laptop is a tool, not a liability.
For years, the “impunity era” in the Nigeria Police Force has functioned as an invisible, illegal tax on every young person with a remote job or a startup idea. We have been told for decades that “Police is your friend,” while the reality on the ground – from the checkpoints in Enugu to the streets of Ikeja, has been a systematic profiling of anyone who looks “too successful” to be a traditional worker. We are told that reforms are “ongoing,” but the digital economy cannot wait for slow-motion change. It needs a factory reset, and it needs it now.
The evidence of why Disu is the only logical choice lies in the “RRS Model” he built in Lagos. Under his command, the Rapid Response Squad was transformed from a unit of fear into one of service. It wasn’t just about professionalism; it was about accountability. Disu himself has signaled that this shift is non-negotiable. On what his charge will be to officers and men as he resumes office, he said, “I will let them know that the era of impunity is over. I will ensure that I train them and encourage them to ensure they follow human rights”.
This is the specific “Good Guy” burden Tunji Disu now carries. If he can make a DPO in Abia as accountable as his commanders in Lagos, he will unlock an economic stimulus that no central bank policy can match. Consider the cost of the alternative. Every time a software engineer is delayed for three hours at a checkpoint, a global contract is at risk. Every time a founder is forced to pay a “laptop tax” to a rogue officer, the runway for their startup shrinks.
Disu’s background in cybersecurity and his training at Cambridge suggest he knows exactly what a “digital builder” looks like. His mandate is clear: he must bridge the trust gap by proving the force can work with, rather than against, the people. As he told reporters following his decoration: “I will ensure that they know that I will try to follow a regime of zero tolerance for corruption, and most importantly, I’m going to drum it into them that we can never succeed without the cooperation of members of the public”.
The strongest counterargument to this hope is the system itself. Critics will argue that no one man, not even a “Good Guy”, can fix a force of over 370,000 officers entrenched in a culture of “returns” and “settlements”. They will say that Disu will eventually be swallowed by the same institutional rot that neutralized his predecessors. It is a valid fear. The Nigeria Police Force has a history of turning reformers into spectators.
However, this argument ignores the specific leverage Disu now holds: a potential seven-year tenure until 2030. Unlike previous IGPs who had 18 months to “try their best,” Disu has the luxury of time to purge the rot. He has already promised a “regime of zero tolerance for corruption,” a claim that must be backed by the immediate and public dismissal of officers caught extorting citizens.
We should not just celebrate this appointment; we should hold it to the fire. The digital economy doesn’t need more handshakes or police statements. It needs a force where extortion is a fireable offense, not a perk of the job. Tunji Disu has been handed the keys to the most broken institution in Nigeria. He must now decide if he wants to be remembered as the “Good Guy” who sat in an office, or the IGP who finally made it safe to be a builder in Nigeria.
The builders are watching. The laptops are open. Over to you, IGP.
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