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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The cold war between the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) may have come to an end as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba, yesterday, paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the PSC, Solomon Arase, in his office.
Alkali, accompanied by members of the police management team, went into a closed door meeting with the PSC chair, where they discussed measures to improve the relationship between the NPF and the PSC, and identified new ways for stronger partnership.
The IGP, in his address, said his visit would no doubt improve the relationship between the police and PSC, which would automatically improve the security situation in the country.
He said: “I am at the Police Service Commission to congratulate the new Chairman, IGP Solomon Arase (retd). When there is proper leadership, guidance, sense of direction, discipline, promotion and appointment, people will be motivated to do the right thing.
“We will cooperate with you and make your duty easy. We urge you to look into other areas than promotion and discipline of the personnel which people are talking about that would improve service delivery by the Force.
Welcoming the IGP and the police management team to his office, Arase described the visit as the dawn of a new robust relationship between the Commission and the Nigeria Police Force.
He said: “There is going to be a paradigm shift between the Commission and the Nigeria Police Force. I commend you for coming; we are going to make constant effort to enable us to eliminate the communication gap which can bring suspicion. If there is a communication gap between two parties, it will give room for suspicions which will not argue well.
“I have met with members of the commission and others. Discipline and the welfare of the personnel of the NPF will be our priority. Infractions will be severely sanctioned. When you see the list of promotions, you will not find the names of officers having pending cases of infractions.
“We are going to liaise with development partners for the training and retraining of the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and provide the needed equipment for proper policing of the country.
“During my tenure, we are going to organise a series of retreats outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to rob minds on how to better the Nigeria Police Force. This is the dawn of a new robust relationship between the commission and the Nigeria Police Force, and we shall all be happy in it.”
Meanwhile, the PSC and NPF have set up a committee to end the incessant crisis between the two bodies over recruitment into the force.
PSC chairman, Arase, who made the disclosure, said the recruitment problems between the police and the commission will be addressed as the committee would find a suitable balance for both organisations to agree on.
He also said the PSC, an agency with oversight function on the police, would ensure that the police get the best support to perform excellently in its job. He called on the IGP to ensure discipline among the officers and men of the force, adding that the country would take the police seriously when they know that any officer found wanting will be properly disciplined.
