The Federal Government (FG) claims to have recruited 40, 000 police officers in the last four years in an effort to re-energize and improve the force’s personnel in order to address the country’s growing security challenges.
On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari made the announcement while opening a two-day retreat for Senior Police Officers in Uyo.
Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Maigari Dingyadi, stated that the Federal Government also granted assent to the Nigerian Police Trust Fund Act and conducted an upward review of rank and file salaries and allowances in order to boost the Force’s morale.
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Other efforts launched by the Federal Government to improve service delivery in the force, he said, included the formation of a Task Force on Need Assessment of the Nigeria Police Force, led by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
He went on to say that the FG also signed the Nigerian Police Regulatory Bill 2020 as part of the efforts to reposition the police force.
“As the lead and most critical agency in the nation’s internal security architecture, this administration has prioritized the reform, re-equipment, and re-engineering of the Nigerian Police.”
Indeed, since the start of the current democratic journey in 1999, no government has shown more commitment to the welfare and institutional advancement of the Nigerian Police than President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
This is demonstrated by the Presidential assent granted to the Nigerian Police Trust Fund bill, as well as the speed with which the Board of Trustees was inaugurated.
“Furthermore, the Federal Government also approved the recruitment of 40, 000 police personnel over a four-year period, as a pathway towards addressing the nation’s huge manpower gap in policing,” Buhari said.
While commending the National Assembly and the Nigerian Governors Forum for their support for the police, the President assured that the Federal Government would continue to prioritize efforts aimed at re-engineering and re-equipping the force to address the country’s increasing and complex security challenges.
