The policy thrust of the Ministry of Police Affairs in the last two years has been the building of a modern, well equipped and motivated police, the minister, Navy Captain Caleb Omoniyi Olubolade (rtd), has said.
Olubolade said this on Tuesday, while giving the mid-term report of the ministry at the ongoing Ministerial Platform.
He said the force was needed to protect lives and property, impartially enforce laws and fight crime as well as aggressively prevent it.
“In doing so, the police will have value for human life, respect the dignity of each individual and render services with courtesy and civility.
“This administration inherited a police that lack adequate training, logistics and capacity to confront rising crime and terrorism,’’ Olubolade said.
To achieve all that, he said the ministry in 2012, initiated four policies that would address police training, funding and misuse of explosive materials.
The minister said that Nigeria Police Force Reform Trust Establishment Bill, which seeks to set up a trust fund for the force, had been reviewed and sent to the National Assembly for passage.
He said that during the period under review, more than 18,000 personnel received various training, while 649 others were deployed for peacekeeping mission across the globe.
Olubolade, however, identified inadequate training, funding, indiscipline and corruption as some of the factors militating against effective policing.
“The Federal Government’s reform programme, which was put in place since 2010, had funding challenge,’’ he said.
The minister attributed the development to the non-passage of the Reform Trust Fund Bill, and said that when passed, it would compel state and local governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to contribute to the fund.
On situation in states under emergency rule, the minister said government would not fold its arms and allow those with a different agenda to overrun the country.
“This country belongs to all of us; we cannot sit down and allow it to be overrun by people with a different agenda.
“One of the key objectives of this administration is to maintain internal security to ensure that the country remains one.
“So the government will go to any length to ensure that; but I want to appreciate those who are giving information to security agencies that has enabled them do their work,’’ he said.
