2027: IG promises peaceful, orderly elections

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Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the 2027 general elections.

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Disu gave the assurance on Saturday in Lagos while speaking with journalists shortly after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater, St. Gregory’s College, through the St. Gregory’s College Old Boys’ Association.

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The ceremony, held at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos, also featured the conferment of a Lifetime Achievement Award on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, and the launch of the St. Gregory’s College Old Boys’ Association Endowment and Perpetual Fund.

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Speaking on expectations ahead of the 2027 elections, Disu said the police had learnt from its experience during the recent Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and would build on the successes recorded.

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He said, “I want you to look back at the Ekiti election. Everybody commended the Nigerian Police. We just finished the Osun election; everybody thought it would be violent, people would die, but we surprised everybody. Not one death was recorded.

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“We just finished one of our conferences where we lectured all our commissioners of police and everybody that will be taking part in the election. We give you our word that the election will come and it will go very well.”

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Disu said the training and preparations for officers who would participate in the elections were part of efforts to ensure that the police discharged their responsibilities effectively.

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The IGP’s assurance comes days after he directed senior police officers to intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, stressing the need for neutrality, preparedness, professionalism and accountability.

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At the September 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Owerri, Disu also unveiled a six-point election security framework covering intelligence gathering, training and preparedness, inter-agency coordination, communication and technology, community engagement and political neutrality.

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The Police have also previously stated that officers deployed for election duties would operate in accordance with the Constitution and Electoral Act, with disciplinary action against personnel found undermining the credibility of elections.

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The IGP, who described the award from his alma mater as one of the biggest moments of his life, said recognition from one’s school was particularly significant.

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“If I say it’s the biggest day in my life, yes, I may not be lying, because the best award anybody can get in the world is the one given to you by your alma mater,” he said.

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Disu, who was honoured alongside Cardoso, Lagos State Head of Service, Olabode Agoro and other distinguished old boys, said the values instilled in him at St. Gregory’s College had remained important throughout his career.

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He said the school taught its students to respect their elders, pursue excellence and continue learning.

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“We were taught to respect our elders; we were taught to continue to study, study again and again,” he said.

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He urged younger Nigerians to uphold those values, saying, “Never forget the ‘Gregorian spirit’.

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“We tell them to never forget the Gregorian spirit. The Gregorians have a spirit. Listen to your elders, ensure you come out best in everything you do,” he said.

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He added that the school’s emphasis on discipline, hard work and responsibility had helped shape its graduates.

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Speaking on behalf of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Agoro commended the St. Gregory’s College Old Boys’ Association for launching the Endowment, Perpetual and Infrastructure Development Funds.

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Agoro, who read the governor’s speech, said investing in education and providing young people with the right environment was essential to producing future leaders.

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“When we provide our young people with the environment to learn, innovate, and develop strong character, we are not merely preparing them for a degree; we are preparing leaders who will shape the future of Lagos State and Nigeria,” Sanwo-Olu said.

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The governor urged other institutions to adopt similar alumni-led initiatives to complement government investments in education, human capital and infrastructure.

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The President of SGCOBA, Francis Kudayah, in his welcome address said the Endowment and Perpetual Fund was designed to address the college’s immediate infrastructure needs while creating a sustainable financial base for the future.

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He said the association would use the fund to expand and modernise the college hall and classrooms, establish a digital hub for new-age subjects including artificial intelligence, coding and robotics, and upgrade the Computer-Based Test centre and e-library.

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The plan also includes the construction of an indoor sports complex, installation of tartan tracks on the athletics field and modernisation of the cricket oval.

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Kudayah said the fund was not another levy but a professionally managed initiative intended to provide a permanent source of income for the association.

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“This is not another levy. This is a permanent, professionally managed Fund with two objectives: to meet immediate infrastructure needs and to secure the financial future of this Association through its perpetual component,” he said.

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He added, “So that 20 years from now, SGCOBA will not have to beg to fix a roof. It will have income in perpetuity. This is our legacy project,” he said.

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Kudayah said their achievements across different sectors demonstrated the impact of the academic, spiritual, moral and sporting education provided by St. Gregory’s College.

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He said the association was determined not to be a generation that merely celebrated the institution’s past while allowing its facilities to deteriorate.

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“St. Gregory’s made us. Now it asks us to remake it,” he said, urging old boys and other supporters to contribute to the fund.

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He assured donors that the endowment would operate under a governance structure involving a board of trustees comprising independent old boys, external fund managers and external auditors, with quarterly reports to the association.

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Kudayah acknowledged the contribution of former teacher and old student of the college, Dr Michael Omolayole, whose donation, he said, helped inspire the establishment of the fund.

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Omolayole donated an additional 70,000 shares of NGX Group to the endowment fund, bringing his total contribution to 100,000 shares.

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In a welcome address delivered on his behalf by Dr Abimbola Ogunkelu, Omolayole said he was particularly delighted that the college would mark its centenary in 2028, the same year he would turn 100.

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He said the event should be regarded as one of the steps towards preparing for the centenary celebration.

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“St Gregory’s College, Obalende will be 100 years old in the year 2028, the same year I was born. Therefore, I consider today’s auspicious event as one of the stepping stones to the centenary celebrations. I think the preparation for the centenary celebrations should start from now,” he said.

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Omolayole, who had earlier donated 30,000 NGX shares to the endowment fund, urged those who believed in the Nigerian capital market to support the initiative through share donations.

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He also proposed that old boys should move away from describing themselves as “ex” Gregorians and instead adopt the identity of “Noble Gregorians.”

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He suggested “Noblesse” as a form of greeting among members of the proposed Society of Noble Gregorians, or SONG.

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The association also honoured several distinguished old boys for their achievements, leadership, service and contributions to the college and society.

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The honourees included traditional rulers such as the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abdulwasiu Lawal, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Abdulsemiiu Kasali, and the Onilado of Ilado and Inagbe, Oba Mobadenle Oyekan; former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour; bankers and corporate leaders, Segun Agbaje, Sir Steve Omojafor, Bimbo Olashore and Prince Olu Awogboro; oil and gas executives, Tunji Oyebanji and Tunde Folawiyo; and medical practitioners, including Prof Nelson Oyesiku and Wole Sulaiman, Dr Abimbola Ogunkelu, Dr John Abebe and Dr Charles Hammond.

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Others recognised included former Minister of State for Finance, Chief Etubom Anthony Ani; Ayo Subair; President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev Sola Idowu; and corporate governance expert, Benedicta Molokwu.

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