President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday disclosed why he approved the recruitment of 10, 000 officers into the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
The president also approved the re-adjustment of emoluments for the police force.
Buhari says the recent moves are geared towards bequeathing Nigeria a modernized and motivated Police Force with virtues of professionalism, respect for the rule of law, due process and best international practices in their operations.
He spoke at the commissioning of operational vehicles and other assets, at the Police Headquarters in Abuja and was contained in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.
“It is in cognisance of this that I approved the re-adjustment of Police emoluments as well as the recruitment of ten thousand (10,000) extra police personnel on an annual basis to motivate and enhance the manpower of the Force. It is also in this regard that I assented to the Police Trust Fund Bill to act as a public-private funding framework that will address funding shortages for the Police on a sustainable basis.”
Buhari, who acknowledged the funding challenge facing the Force, pledged that the Federal Government will continue to enhance funding as well as work towards meeting manpower requirements and welfare needs of the Force.
He stated that the full commencement of the “Nigeria Police Trust Fund will further assist in meeting the operational and logistics requirements of the Force,” adding that to “give immediate effect to the Police Trust Fund Act, I have directed the Minister of Police Affairs to fast track the process of its take-off.”
Notwithstanding the achievements so far recorded by the Force, Buhari charged its leadership to “avoid complacency in the efforts towards ridding the country of crimes.”
He enjoined the leadership of the Force “to continue to give new orientation to officers of the Force such that they can appreciate the virtues of policing with civility and within the dictates of the law and ensure that the institution regains its position of confidence and respect from Nigerians.”
The President said that officers and other personnel of the Police must take cognisance of the fact that, in the discharge of their duties, they will not only be judged by the number of crimes they have stopped or the number of convictions they have secured, but also the extent to which the process of achieving their statutory mandate conforms to professional and legal standards.”
Stressing that security of lives and property of Nigerians is a constitutional obligation, President Buhari said the “Police is central to the process of meeting this obligation,” adding that “It is for this reason that I have always prioritized the Police as a critical agency in the internal security architecture of the country.”
Commending the leadership of the Police for keying into his administration’s Next Level agenda in relation to strengthening institutional capacity towards addressing internal security challenges, the President noted the reforms being undertaken by the Inspector-General of Police “as well as strategies that he has put in place in guaranteeing the efficiency of the Force.”
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