ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS POLICE COLLEGE CELEBRATE RETIRED CP EDWARD AJOGUN; DIG FOLAWIYO DESCRIBES HIM AS GO-TO PERSON • CP Asafa, CP Adagunduro, ACP Alli Zongo, Kingsley Oiboh, others honour the man they regard as ‘no-nonsense man’
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Chief Kingsley Oiboh; DIG David Folawiyo Rtd; Mrs. Ajogun; CP Eward Awolowo Ajogun Rtd and Area Commander, Area F, Lagos Command, ACP John Alli Zongo
More than four months after his official exit from the Nigeria Police Force, the friends and colleagues of former Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun Rtd have thrown a surprise party in honour of his retirement. The delay was due to other activities that have required the retired Commissioner to travel out of the country. Under the aegis of Association of Friends Police College Ikeja, many of these friends were College enrollees in 1988 alongside CP Ajogun.
Speaking at the party, one of the organizers of the special party, Chief Kingsley Oiboh said: ‘we came to celebrate with our retired friend. We call it Association of Police College Friends – policemen, legal practitioners, his colleagues, government officials, etc. He too was not aware of this event. I only called him to come and have a drink with me so he was surprised to see the caliber of friends that we have around. Friends like DIG David Folawiyo Rtd, CP Adekunle Asafa, CP Tunde Adagunduro, ACP Alli Zongo, Peter Omotosho, and many friends.’
L-R: CP Edward Ajogun Rtd and his Wife
‘He is a good personality, a disciplined officer, a straightforward officer that is why we came to celebrate him today.
He retired in Ogun state on 1st October 2021 but we have not hosted him here in Lagos. That is why we are doing this today because Lagos is his base and we did not want to do a big party. He traveled abroad after retirement that is why it took us some time to have this celebration today’, he revealed to Trek Africa Newspaper.
Oiboh advised young police officers, ‘The first thing to police your community is to build trust. Be a friend to the local people. Always have it in mind that after few years, you are going back to this people and you will be like them. You have to be honest, disciplined and straightforward.’
L-R: A Guest; CP Tunde Adagunduro; Chief Kingsley Oiboh; CP Edward Ajogun Rtd; His Wife, Mrs Ajogun; CP Adekunle Asafa and ACP Alli Zongo
DIG Folawiyo who also retired recently noted about his very good friend, CP Edward Ajogun, ‘Some small things make you happy beyond happiness. I think about him everyday. Every time I am faced with difficulty, the person I go to is this man. They gave me many things during my retirement, I told him these things are not my own, they are yours. So I congratulate him and I am proud of him.’
Another friend, CP Tunde Adagunduro spoke about the retired CP, ‘The man we are celebrating is a jolly good fellow. He is a friend indeed. The man is so brilliant. He is an officer worth his onions. He is outspoken, stands by the truth not minding whose ox is gored. He is not involved in frivolities. And he is a very thorough officer.’
L-R: Chief Kingsley Oiboh; CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun Rtd and his Wife, Mrs Ajogun
Also, a friend and colleague, CP Adekunle Asafa spoke about the CP, ‘I used to call him the Ajogun of Awolowo. He is a nice man, an integrity officer, he is a jolly good man. We’ve been together since 1988 as friends.’
The Commander of Area F, Lagos Command, ACP John Alli Zongo noted about Ajogun, ‘the retired CP is my boss and mentor. He was the Area Commander, Area F where I am currently heading. I have learned a lot from him. He taught me many things since I moved into Lagos in 2020 and now he has moved out. I have been DPO in 6 divisions before I came to Lagos.’
L-R: DIG David Folawiyo Rtd in a warm handshake with Area F Commander, Lagos Command, ACP Alli Zongo, as CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun Rtd and his Wife, Mrs Ajogun looks on…
‘I advise young officers that the moment you enroll into police, you have to keep the flag flying, do the right things, respect your superiors, and the sky is your limit.’
DIG Folawiyo further expressed his delight, ‘When I saw this celebration, I can only appreciate. I have friends in the service but there is no 2 Awolowo or 2 Ajogun in my life than the retired CP.’
Full of thanksgiving, CP Edward Ajogun expressed his delight in several songs of praise. He appreciated his friends, ‘When I look around, I am happy because they are the reason I have been celebrating since 1st of October.’
He continued: ‘The starting point was small, everything in life starts small, that’s my career. We started the journey in March 1988, I graduated from University of Ibadan. While I am celebrating the likes of some of us that are still alive, I remember others who died on the line of duty. We thank God for long life and protection’
‘In the course of my career’, he told Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper, ‘I discovered that friendship is very key to effective policing, so all along I have been building friendships with the communities and the public that we serve. You cannot succeed if people are always complaining about you.’
‘The nature of my job is that you have to be very discerning. To get good people is not easy, you have to identify them. The smaller the better. You have to be selective using the criteria of quality. You will also grow in rank and you will also retire at higher rank. The honour you have given me, others will give to you. it is good to be good. Anybody who asks you to bend the rule especially in the path of injustice is not a good friend’, he advised young police officers.
Still praising his friends, rtd. CP Awolowo Ajogun said: ‘If I am not your friend, we won’t have had some of you here today. You have made my day. You have made me know that friendship and friends are key to success. We are small but qualitative friendships. When the chips are down, you are there.’
On DIG Folawiyo, he said: ‘DIG Folawiyo and I joined the Police Academy in 1988. I retired as CP and recently he also retired as DIG. He is a Yoruba diaspora from Edo state.’
CP Ajogun also praised his wife. ‘I thank my wife for keeping the home front. Whatever success I achieve, I attribute to my wife for praying for me when I am chasing criminals.’
‘I pray for my colleagues who are still in service that you will retire as fit as I am today because it is not easy doing this dangerous job’, the retired Commissioner of Police Ogun state concluded.
