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FG To Spend N1.5trn On Police Reforms
President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the Federal Government would spend N1.5 trillion in the next five years to reform the Nigeria Police Force.
Jonathan made this known at a two-day retreat on “Sustaining Nigeria Police Reforms”, in Makurdi yesterday.
The event was organised by the Police Service Commission in conjunction with the Benue Government.
Represented by the Minister of the FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed, Jonathan said government was committed to building the capacity of the police force in the country through ongoing reforms.
Jonathan said that 60 per cent of the money would be provided by government, while the remaining 40 per cent would come from the private sector, including non-governmental organisations.
He assured that the Federal Government was committed to equipping the police for enhanced performance.
The president urged the commission to build a police force that was impeccable and committed to ensuring the security of all Nigerians.
He said the Federal Government had accepted the recommendations of Governor Peter Obi’s committee on the police and would soon issue a white paper on it.
He advised participants at the retreat to contribute meaningfully to the topics, noting that such recommendations might help the government to tackle rising cases of insurgency in the country.
Governor Gabriel Suswam, in his remark, said that the police had to imbibe the discipline of being accountable to the elected representatives of the people.
Suswam said that by being accountable, the police would consult widely with the people through their representatives to reflect their views on police reforms.
The governor said reforms that never reflected the views of the people would be disregarded.
He called on the police to redouble their efforts in providing security to the people, especially as the country was drawing closer to elections.
Suswam condemned agitations for state police, pointing out that the country was not ripe enough to have state police.
In an address, the Chairman, PSC, Mr Mike Okiro, called for a national policy on policing to ensure continuity of policies in the force.
Okiro, a former Inspector General of Police, decried the non-implementation of various police reform committees in the country.
He said that most of the committees echoed the need for police restructuring, training and retraining.
The PSC chairman also spoke on the need to review the training curricula, upgrading of training institutions and increased funding.
He said the cumulative effect of the identified lapses was declining morale of the officers which adversely affected them in discharging their duties.
Okiro said for reforms to be effective, “they must bring about a change or improvement in the status quo by correcting perceived faults, removing inconsistencies and abuses’’.
He expressed regrets that even the Parry Osayinde’s recommendations, which the government accepted, had not been implemented.
The Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, said the police management, had aligned its policies with the recommendations of previous reform committees.
Abubakar said the essence of the alignment was to strengthen the police for effective service delivery in line with international best practices.
He also appealed to the PSC to approve the decentralisation of the powers to promote and sanction officers.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.