Reps pledge to ensure professionalism in Police service delivery.     

.As NPF, Ministry and PSC differ on service elongation

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The House of Representatives has pledged to ensure that the legal framework to entrench patriotism and professionalism in the Nigeria Police Force is engendered through legislative processes of lawmaking, oversight and budget scrutiny

Speaker of the House Hn Tajudeen Abbas gave the assurance in an opening remarks at a one-day investigative hearing on the proposed amendment to the Police Act 2020.

The hearing  was entitled ‘A Bill for Act to Amend the Nigeria Police Act 2020 to review the service years of Police personnel in order to improve the experience and expertise of police workforce, to retain experienced personnel and reduce the cost of training new officers, improve the morale, performance and job satisfaction and address the shortage of experienced police personnel and For related matters’.

Speaker of the house  Hon.Abbas Tajudeen said that that the house is using the public hearing to birth the legislative framework that ‘ll engender patriotism and professionalism in the Police Force.

Represented by the House Majority Whip Hon.Adullahii Halims, the speaker said that the House is ready to address all the operational, budgetary and logistics challenges of the Nigeria Police Force through the legislative process in line with the 10th House Legislative Agenda.

He further said that the public hearing is to get the key stakeholders input in the proposed amendment to section 18 (8) of the Police Act 2020.

Similarly, Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs Hon.Makki Yalleman said that the public hearing is to address all the issues affecting operational efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force.

He hinted that the proposed law seeks to provide that retirement age of the Police Force personnel is reviewed upwards from 35 years  length of service to 40 years and 60 years of age to 65 years

Nonetheless, the Ministry of Police Affairs said that the ministry is opposed to the amendment of the Police Act to increase the service year of Police Personnel.

The Minister of Police Affairs Sen.Dr Ibrahim Gaidam represented by the Driector of Police Service Ibrahim Mohammed said that the increase in the service year of Police personnel will lead to stagnation in service of the officers.

According to the ministry, the proposed amendment to the Police Act 2020 will lead to inefficient performance of duty by serving officers and men of the Force.

Also in a their separate presentations, the Police Service Commission PSC and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission said that the increase in the number of service years of the Police officers will affect the morale of the officers and also affect the wage bill of government.

The House Committee Chairman Hon.Yalleman who assured all the invited stakeholders of proper scrutiny of all the memoranda submitted during hearing said that they will address all grey areas in the bill before transmission to the House.