Nigerians are daily confronted with unnecessary institutional competitions that retard the quest for progress rather than contribute to enhancing socio-economic development and human relations.
Such vexatious and unnecessary rivalry is playing out in the lingering face-off between the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). It has given Nigerians, especially security watchers, cause for concern, especially during this period of security threats to the nooks and crannies of the country.
First manifested in 2019, the supremacy battle is already adding to the myriad problems bedevilling the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and taking its toll on efforts at repositioning the force and enhancing police services, through the recruitment of constables.
Relating to the recruitment of manpower for the force, the two bodies are more engrossed in budget control than searching for eligible and capable hands to man policing across the country. To us, the struggle is nothing but a setback to efforts at confronting the problems of the police.
Before now, the recruitment of constables was unconsciously usurped by the police and it became its regular activity for many years. Then, the police had a free hand in recruiting its personnel, despite legal provisions that allowed the PSC the power to perform such duty. It was the same belief that gave the former IGP, Musiliu Smith the clout to insist on still performing the same recruitment exercise, unfortunately, his quest met resistance from PSC officials, leading to a three-day strike by commission workers.
From then till now, the situation has subsisted, culminating in the recent outbursts from both institutions. While the PSC claimed to have successfully recruited about 10,000 able-bodied men and women as constables into the force, following due process, the IGP’s office raised the alarm that the recruitment was characterized by corruption and the employment of those who could not pass the tests. According to the police, some candidates who failed the computer-based test or physical screening exercise were included in the list of successful candidates.
The positions of the two bodies justified the long-standing feud between the parties. But this is a sane society governed by rules to guarantee sanity. For instance, the constitution gave the PSC the sole responsibility of recruiting and promoting staff of NPF, except the IGP. Also, the Police Act 2020, signed by former President Mohammadu Buhari empowers the PSC to recruit police officers.
Even with the knowledge of the constitutional provisions, the struggle for control of the recruitment of constables continued until the matter was settled between the two figures by a Supreme Court pronouncement in July 2023, which affirmed the PSC as in charge of police recruitment, discipline, and promotion. The court also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the NPF and IGP from interfering with the PSC’s constitutional functions, including recruitment, promotion, and discipline.
While the court judgment is still prevailing, Nigerians are worried that the issue of recruitment of police constables is still engineering friction between the police authority and PSC.
We are disturbed that if the loggerhead is allowed to fester for long, the reason for approving the recruitment of 40,000 policemen within five years by the federal government will be defeated. To avoid doubt, the war against banditry and other forms of insecurity demands more hands and policemen as stakeholders in ensuring peace and security.
Besides, the Nigerian youths, who had chosen the force as an option amid prevailing unemployment, occasioned by the present economic downturn, would be disappointed with the authority due to the institutional wrangling and lack of credibility in the recruitment process. The ongoing face-off is embarrassing, retrogressive, and evidence of a pursuit of self-aggrandizement. It is also an affront to the judiciary that has made a pronouncement on the contentious issue.Therefore, President Bola Tinubu, who appointed heads of the warring institutions should intervene immediately and call them to order to bring sanity and credibility to recruitment process in the force.
Also, in recognition of the Supreme Court judgment, the exercise conducted by the PSC should be upheld and successful candidates should be enlisted into the force immediately.
Nigerians are eager to see sanity restored to the force to enable the officers to execute their onerous responsibility of policing the nation.
