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New Rivers CP Reads Riot Act To Policemen …Orders Withdrawal Of Orderlies To Undeserving Persons
Worried by the lack of professionalism displayed by some Police Officers in the discharge of their duties, the new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Chris O. Ezike, has warned Policemen in the state to justify their monthly pay by performing commensurate duties.
The Commissioner of Police also warned that idleness, Lazity and poor attitude to crime fighting as well as reckless use of firearms against the provision of the Force Order 237 would no longer be tolerated, even as he charged them to display professionalism, operate within the laws, rules and extant regulations.
The State Police boss gave the warning during his inaugural address and press briefing following a meeting with Senior Officers, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Heads of Departments (HODs) in the command yesterday at the Police Officers’ Mess, Port Harcourt.
The new Police boss said the essence of the meeting was to enable him interact and brainstorm with the Senior Officers to learn about the peculiar law enforcement challenges they faced in their departments, divisions, and formations to enable them develop fresh approaches and adopt measures that would complement existing strategies.
According to him, “the objective of this focus, is to combat cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, homicide and other violent crimes that undermine the state’s peace, security and general well-being.
“The state occupies a vital economic position in the affairs of the country.
We cannot, therefore, close our eyes and pretend that all is well,” he said.
“Operationally, we shall adopt high visibility policing method. Policemen must not only be on patrol but must be seen to be on patrol. We shall also develop and implement a standard operation procedure that would enhance coordination to distress management, and consequently, reduce response time”, he added.
He posited that high visibility policing will give the citizenry psychological assurance, besides the physical certainty but requires enonomous manpower, adding that he was convinced that with personnel strength of 15,521, three Mobile Police Force Squadrons, excluding visiting units, the command has the manpower to ensure effective and efficient policing in the state.
Ezike said that within the same framework, any Police Officer that abuses the goodwill he enjoys or wastes same on the platform of ineptitude or corruption, would be fully sanctioned in accordance with the law.
The Commissioner of Police told the officers that the handover notes he received from his predecessor show that the trend and pattern of serious crimes in the state have become worrisome to the citizens, especially kidnapping and armed robbery, fueled by cultism, and promised the readiness of his administration to wipe the scourge of criminality in the state as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in a determined effort to promote effective and efficient policing, the new Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Okey Ezeike, has ordered the immediate withdrawal of all Police Mobile Force personnel attached to persons that are not entitled to have such persons without the approval of Inspector-general of police.
The Commissioner also directed all Area Commanders, Heads of Department and DPOs to act accordingly by enforcing the strict directive.
Ezeike gave the directive during a meeting yesterday at Police Officers’ mess in Port Harcourt, with Senior Police Officers within the Command as part of his maiden meeting with them on his assumption of office as the new Police helmsman in the state.
He disclosed that a monitoring task force would soon be constituted to ensure compliance with the order, adding that the action was part of his administration’s drive to promote efficient policing in the state.
He said that his administration will focus on providing qualitative service to the people, fight crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism with every strength the Police can muster.
According to him, the Police will partner with other security agencies and non-state actors in a professional and transparent manner as well as respect the rights of the citizens while abhorring corruption.
Ezeike used the opportunity to re-emphasise the cardinal policy of the Inspector-General of Police’s administration on robust fight against violent crimes, focus on intelligence-led policing, ban on road blocks and replacement with safer High-Way Patrols, restorative justice, amongst others.
He told the officers that he is in the state “with tremendous goodwill, open hands and mind, willingness to work, partner with all to ensure we make the state safer, secure, better and prosperous”.
On the use of tinted glasses without authorization, the Commissioner said the Command was worried about the increase despite several directives by his predecessors, noting that persons of questionable character and criminals have been observed to be in the habit of using tinted glass cars to commit all sorts of atrocities.
“To this effect” he said, ‘with effect from 10th July, 2015, therefore, all vehicles which flout this directive will be impounded and the owners arrested and prosecuted”.
He, however, said that the task ahead of the new Police leadership was daunting but not impossible, and solicited for the co-operation of other security agencies, the media, civil society, market organizations, tertiary institutions and the general public in the quest for a safer state.
Spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Segun Sowunmi, has advised his principal, Atiku, to learn from President Bola Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
The Tide reports that in a bid to wrest power from President Tinubu in 2027, Atiku has been leading the movement by opposition politicians to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the next general election.
Last month, opposition politicians set up a team comprising former Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to decide whether to float a new party or fuse into an existing platform.
While the main opposition party, PDP, struggles with a perennial leadership crisis, the former Vice President is bent on establishing another political force to take power from the ruling party in 2027.
But Sowunmi, who has been Atiku’s ally for many years, disagrees with his move, saying instead of forming a coalition with another political platform, he should coalesce opposition politicians into the PDP.
Speaking during an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Sowunmi, who was Atiku’s campaign spokesperson in the last election, asked his principal to learn from President Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
Sowunmi believes Atiku, having benefitted from the PDP as a former Vice President and getting the party’s presidential ticket twice, should not seek to form a coalition that will not have the PDP as its base.
He said, “I’ve always said to people, people love with their hearts. I love atiku with my bones. But I can’t help him against himself. You can’t run vice presidency on PDP two times with Obasanjo, get presidential candidate on that same party two times. I don’t agree with him that the next best thing is to be shopping for…(a platform) If you want a coalition, why are you not coalescing them into your party?” he asked.
The former PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State advised the ex-VP to learn from Tinubu on how to build a coalition without dumping his political party.
“Look at your rival, your friend. You guys started together. At best, even if you want to say he’s building a coalition is he not coalescing opponents into his place”? Sowunmi asked again.
The PDP chieftain, who recently showered praises on Tinubu after he visited him, said the President has an “uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special” regardless of political affiliations.
His words: “That guy (Tinubu) is something oh, he has this uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special. It doesn’t matter whether you are a former foe or a president’s friend, every moment you share with him, I don’t know how he does it, though you’re going to leave the place feeling that you matter, feeling that he gets it, feeling that what you guys are talking about is important. And there’s something about him, when he gives you his word, he will say something like ‘ko le ye’, meaning that to the best of human ability, it will stand.”
Meanwhile, there have been conversations about Sowunmi’s political stance as many questioned his relationship with Atiku, with whom he shares a longstanding political relationship.
Asked about his relationship with Atiku following his meeting with Tinubu, Sowunmi said he doesn’t know if the former Vice President is upset.
“I don’t know whether Atiku is upset or not upset, but I know a lot of our followers are talking a lot of nonsense, and I’m wondering how I became attached to Atiku when I’ve been in PDP since 1999 never leaving,” he responded.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.
The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. Collins Omokaro, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience.
He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.
“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step towards a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.
The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.
FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.
“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.
“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.
The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organisation, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, says the Federal Government is committed to building a world-class public service in Nigeria.
Walson-Jack made this known in Abuja, on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference ahead of the International Civil Service Conference and the African Public Service Week scheduled for June 25 to 26 in Abuja.
She said a recent study tour to Singapore was part of preparatory activities aimed at positioning Nigeria’s civil service for excellence and attracting global participation in the upcoming events.
“The study tour to Singapore was the first major activity we undertook under the collaboration between the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Heads of Service of the 36 states and the FCT,” she said.
According to her, the visit, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), involved 20 State Heads of Service and was designed to benchmark best global practices and enhance Nigeria’s public service delivery.
“The idea was born out of our ongoing collaboration, where we share ideas and knowledge across federal and state levels.
“Singapore was chosen because it is globally recognised for excellence in public service,” she explained.
Walson-Jack noted that the second phase of the tour will involve the remaining 17 heads of service later this year.
She said the tour provided participants with the opportunity to engage with both public and private sector institutions in Singapore, compare administrative practices, and gain insights into global standards.
“It was an eye-opener and a capacity-building opportunity.
“Since our return, several state civil services have begun implementing reforms in collaboration with the federal service, particularly in areas such as capability development and digital transformation,” she added.
Walson-Jack further disclosed that Nigeria would host a reciprocal study tour during the upcoming African Public Service Week, where foreign delegates will engage with various federal institutions.
“They will see firsthand our digitalisation efforts, performance management systems, and other reform initiatives aimed at transforming our civil service.
“We hope the experience will inspire similar actions in their home countries,” she said.