The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has charged the Police Service Commission (PSC) on repositioning the Nigeria Police Force to make its personnel protectors and community partners, not predators and isolated enforcers of law.
The Senate President noted that Nigeria stands at the threshold where her police force must not be seen merely as an arm of coercion, but as an engine of trust, justice and public service.
He gave the charge at the opening ceremony of the four-day induction programme for PSC Board members holding in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.
He also charged the new Board members not to see their new positions as mere appointments but a call to purpose, a mandate to reform and a sacred trust to serve.
Senator Akpabio, who was represented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Dr. Barau Jibrin, noted that without a police force rooted in justice and trusted by the people, “the foundations of our democracy tremble, the peace we cherish grows fragile and the very fabric of our national life begins to fret.”
In a paper entitled “Building A Police Force That Works For All,” the Senate President reminded the new Board members that they had been summoned to a duty as weighty as it is historic, urging them to “leave a mark, leave a legacy, leave the system better than you met it.”
He added: “I invite you beyond induction into introspection; beyond titles into tasks; beyond routine into reform.”
He said Nigeria stands at a threshold where “our police force must no longer be seen merely as an arm of coercion, but as an engine of trust, justice and public service.”
Senator Akpabio admitted that the challenges before the Commission were enormous, ranging from funding deficits, outdated training models and low morale, to the corrosive effects of corruption and the burden of police distrust.
He however reminded the new Board members that light shines brightest in darkness, adding: “This is your moment to be that light.”
The Senate President noted that one of the critical pillars of the PSC deliberations ” must be Policy direction and urged the Commission to adopt policies that reposition the Police as protectors, not predators; as community partners not isolated enforcers.
According to him, “on institutional reform, we must acknowledge that no system reforms itself on performance optimisation. It is time to introduce a reward system that recognises and uplifts those officers who embody the finest ideals of public service.”
The Senate President said the Senate recognises that no reform will endure without legislative partnership, promising that the National Assembly was ready to review outdated laws, approve essential reforms and provide the robust oversight needed to ensure a professional, a people-oriented police system.
The opening ceremony also received goodwill messages from the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno; the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Ambassador Ahmed Abdulhamid Mallam Madori; the Inspector General of Police, Dr Olukayode Egbetokun and the Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. George Akume, in his message read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Dr. Maurice Mberi, told the new Board that the Federal Government “envisions and supports a governance structure where no individual acts in isolation,” adding that the present administration “has clearly reaffirmed the importance of upholding collective responsibility in the administration of Federal Executive Bodies.”
The PSC Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), in his remarks underscored the importance of the induction programme and said the Commission was now ready to get it right and build bridges of progress for the Nigeria Police Force.
In his welcome address, Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and member representing the Judiciary, said that the event was organised to usher in the members of the Commision, in order to acquaint them with its activities.
According to him “it is the hope of all the new members, including myself, that at the end of the programme, we will be better equipped to carry out the oversight functions over the Nigeria Police Force as assigned to us by the Constitution and other relevant statutes.”
The Induction programme ends on Wednesday, April 30.
