Beyond the Music: Why the Lagos Police Band Matters By Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin
When institutions invest in ceremony, many observers see spectacle and fewer recognize strategy. Yet on Saturday, January 24, 2024, when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, commissioned the Lagos State Police Command Band, the moment carried implications far beyond music and pageantry. It offered a glimpse into how the Nigeria Police Force is attempting to reshape its institutional identity, public image, and long-term reform philosophy.
At first glance, a police band appears ornamental. In reality, it is deeply symbolic. It reflects how an institution sees itself and how it wishes to be seen. For a police force that has spent decades under intense public scrutiny, symbolism is not trivial—it is part of rebuilding legitimacy.
The ceremony drew strong endorsement from Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who commended both the IGP and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, for what he described as a people-oriented initiative.
Ably represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Abimbola Saliu Hundeyin, the governor emphasized that security is inseparable from development. Schools, hospitals, markets, and businesses, he noted, cannot thrive in an atmosphere of fear. In that context, any effort that narrows the distance between the police and the public carries civic value.
For decades, the relationship between the police and many Nigerian communities has been shaped primarily by moments of tension—roadblocks, arrests, raids, and emergency responses. These are necessary elements of law enforcement, but when they dominate public interaction, they define perception. Trust becomes transactional, rising only when things go right and collapsing when they go wrong.
Institutions, however, are not judged solely by how they act in crisis. They are also evaluated by how they present themselves in everyday civic life. This is where symbolism, ceremony, and institutional culture matter. A police band is not simply a performance unit; it is a visible expression of discipline, structure, and continuity.
Until now, the Lagos State Police Command—despite its national prominence—did not have a dedicated band. It depended on the Force Headquarters Band for ceremonial functions. On paper, this may seem like a minor administrative detail. In practice, it speaks to how institutional development can lag even in strategically critical commands.
CP Moshood acknowledged this gap, describing the establishment of the band as a strategic step rather than a cosmetic one.
“Establishing a police band is not a luxury but a necessity that enhances public trust, boosts morale, and strengthens the professional image of the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Command,” he said.
That framing is important. It places the band within a broader vision of professionalism, not entertainment. It suggests that reform is not limited to operational capacity but extends to how the institution builds pride internally and confidence externally.
The IGP’s remarks about legacy reinforce this perspective. Policing reforms in Nigeria often focus on immediate challenges—crime rates, misconduct, logistics, and manpower. These are critical issues. Yet institutions are also shaped by the quieter, long-term investments that define culture and tradition. Structures like a command band outlive individual leadership tenures. They become part of an organization’s memory, shaping how future officers experience and identify with the institution they serve.
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Professional policing depends on more than tactical readiness. It rests equally on order, cohesion, and the standards officers are expected to embody in public. When a police band performs at state ceremonies, memorials, and civic events, officers appear not as enforcers, but as representatives of a national institution. The public, in turn, sees coordination, discipline, and a sense of formality that reinforces the idea of a structured and accountable force.
This matters because public confidence rarely grows through force alone. It grows through familiarity, consistency, and repeated non-confrontational engagement. Civic presence in shared spaces—parades, official gatherings, and community events—helps humanize authority. It reduces the social distance that often fuels mistrust and suspicion. In this way, the Lagos Police Command Band functions as a form of institutional soft power embedded within a hard security framework.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s endorsement also highlights the importance of synergy between civil authority and law enforcement. Effective security is rarely the product of isolated institutions. It emerges when government, police, and the public operate within a shared framework of trust and mutual recognition. A ceremonial structure like a command band becomes a common symbol at state functions, blending civic identity with security presence.
Skeptics may argue, not without reason, that bands do not fight crime. But modern policing is no longer defined solely by arrests and patrols. It is also defined by legitimacy. Hard power—training, equipment, intelligence, and response—must be matched by soft power—public trust, institutional credibility, and perceived fairness. Without legitimacy, even the most efficient enforcement efforts struggle to secure public cooperation.
The Nigeria Police Force continues to face widespread calls for reform, particularly around accountability, professionalism, and service delivery. These demands cannot be met by policy changes alone. They require a shift in institutional culture. When leadership invests in visible structures that promote discipline, pride, and continuity, it sends a signal inward and outward. Officers are reminded that they belong to a professional tradition. The public is invited to see the force as an organized institution with standards, history, and direction.
The Lagos State Police Command Band should therefore be understood as more than a ceremonial addition. It is a statement of intent. It reflects a belief that reform includes not only what the police do, but how they present themselves, how they are remembered, and how they are woven into the civic life of the society they serve.
In a city as vast and complex as Lagos, security cannot rely on authority alone. It depends on cooperation. Cooperation grows from trust, and trust is built through countless small signals over time. A command band will not solve the deep structural challenges facing policing in Nigeria. But it contributes to an environment in which citizens may begin to see their police not only as a force to be endured, but as an institution with a sense of order, professionalism, and public responsibility.
In the end, the music played at official ceremonies carries a message. It speaks to officers about who they are expected to be. It speaks to citizens about what kind of institution stands before them. And in a reform process often measured by policies and statistics, such symbolic signals can play a quiet but lasting role in shaping perception, confidence, and legitimacy.
Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin, a PRNigeria Fellow, writes via: [email protected]
