By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, has said he has never demanded or collected a bribe throughout his career, attributing his uncompromising stance on corruption to the moral upbringing he received from his late father.
Ojajuni stated this while speaking at the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Martin Catholic Police Chaplaincy, Ogun State Police Command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The ceremony, presided over by the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo, also featured the blessing of the newly constructed Grotto of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and the foundation-laying ceremony for the Catholic Chaplains’ House.
Senior police officers, including ACP Gloria Otonko, ACP, X-Squad, and other officers of the Command, attended the event.
Ojajuni, who urged parents to raise their children in the fear of God and with sound moral values, said his father’s teachings and personal example had shaped his attitude towards public service and integrity.
He said: “I have never, in my life, demanded or collected a bribe.
“That was largely because of the way my father brought me up. My father was also a lay preacher. He placed my feet on the path of the Lord and taught me to live with integrity.”
Recounting an experience early in his career, the commissioner said he once obtained a loan from the Police Cooperative to assist his father with the renovation of his house.
According to him, after travelling from Lagos to Ondo State with the money, his father refused to accept it after learning that it was a loan.
“I left Lagos and took the money to Ondo State. When I gave the money to my father, he asked me, ‘Where did you get this money from?’
“I told him, ‘It is a loan from the Police Cooperative.’ He immediately said, ‘No, I will not take it from you.’”
Ojajuni said he subsequently returned to Lagos and approached officials of the Police Cooperative for assistance.
He explained that an official advised him to obtain a certificate of indebtedness to establish that the money had been legitimately borrowed.
After obtaining the certificate, he said he returned to his father, who then accepted the money.
“Now you can see the reason why I said I don’t demand or collect bribes. Why would I? It is my home training and background, and because my father put my leg on the path of the Lord,” he said.
The commissioner urged parents to regard the religious and moral upbringing of their children as an investment in the future of the country.
Addressing the parents of the confirmands, he said they had taken an important step by raising their children in the ways of God, adding that they would eventually reap the fruits of their efforts.
“You have put your children on the path of the Lord. You will reap the fruits of your labour.
“By bringing your children up in the ways of the Lord, you are building future leaders, great men and women who will contribute positively to this country and who will be less vulnerable to social vices,” he said.
Ojajuni said his own life was evidence of the long-term impact of proper parental upbringing.
“My father is no longer alive, but he used to tell me, ‘You are working for yourself.’ Today, who is enjoying the benefit of that lesson? It is me.
“I am the Commissioner of Police today. I am the one enjoying the responsibilities, privileges and honour that come with this office,” he said.
The CP also recalled his childhood in Ondo State, where he grew up as a member of the Methodist Church located opposite a Catholic Church.
According to him, the two churches maintained a cordial relationship and regularly supported each other during their annual harvest celebrations.
He said the Methodist and Catholic choirs often attended each other’s harvests, exposing him from an early age to Catholic teachings and traditions.
Ojajuni said the photographs depicting the life and journey of Jesus Christ on the walls of the church brought back memories of his childhood.
“As I came into this church this morning, the first thing I noticed was the photographs on the wall depicting the journey of Jesus Christ.
“At that moment, I went back down memory lane. I revisited my childhood, and I became deeply nostalgic. I have been reminiscing about my childhood, a beautiful childhood spent in the presence of the Lord,” he said.
The commissioner also recalled the humorous relationship between his father and Catholic worshippers in their community.
He said his father would tease Catholic worshippers returning from their earlier church service by telling them: “You went where God has not arrived. We are just going.”
The Catholic worshippers, he said, would respond jokingly: “No, God has come and gone. You are just going there to meet empty chairs.”
According to Ojajuni, those childhood experiences helped shape his appreciation of the relationship between different Christian denominations.
He also narrated what he described as a spiritual experience shortly before his appointment as Commissioner of Police in Ogun State.
He said that while attending a church service at Mosafejo around March, a gospel singer performed a song that had earlier been sung by the Bishop at the Confirmation ceremony.
“I told an AIG sitting beside me during the service: ‘Sir, that woman is ministering to me.’
“Five days later, my life changed. I was appointed Commissioner of Police of Ogun State,” he said.
The CP therefore urged Christians to pay attention to messages they receive through sermons, songs and other forms of worship, saying divine messages could sometimes come through seemingly ordinary events.
“Sometimes, God speaks to us, but we may be unconscious of the message He is sending. We may hear the words physically without understanding their spiritual significance,” he said.
He urged the congregation to listen “beyond the physical sound and beyond the literal meaning” whenever they believed God was sending them a message.
Ojajuni also commended the bishop and priests for their roles in nurturing the faith of the congregation.
He particularly appreciated the Catholic Chaplain, Rev. Fr. (CSP) Paul Omotosho, whom he said he first met when the priest was posted to Lagos after joining the priesthood.
The commissioner, who was then in charge of Police Administration, recalled that Omotosho later embarked on the construction of a church within the police community in Ikeja.
“I first realised that this young man was destined for greatness when we were together in Lagos. Within a short period, he built a beautiful edifice; a church.
“When I saw what he had accomplished, I said to myself, ‘Wow, this man is going to be great.’
“From that day, I said, ‘This is someone to watch. He is going to be great in life.’
“Today, I appreciate God for your life, Reverend Father, and I pray that God will continue to elevate you and use you for His glory,” he said.
Ojajuni urged the confirmands to remain steadfast in their faith, assuring their parents that the investment they were making in their children’s moral and spiritual upbringing would yield positive results.
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