The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr Solomon Arase, on Wednesday, constituted a consultative forum comprising a community of retired police officers saddled with the responsibilities of managing arising conflicts between the commission and the Nigeria Police Force.
The team, tagged “Retired Officers’ Consultative Forum,” will act as the think-tank for the PSC and the NPF through dispassionate interrogation of issues, generation of ideas and proffering solutions on issues of Security Sector Reforms.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the team was constituted, Arase lamented that the prolonged rift between the commission and the NPF had aggravated the level of distrust for the police, adding that the development was unhealthy and unhelpful to the national security of the country.
Arase said, “It is no news that these two critical institutions of government have engaged in a seemingly perennial conflict of power and interest, which started from disputations over roles and responsibilities and regrettably compounded and snowballed into legal contestations.
“This unsavoury situation is neither commendable nor favourable to our national security, as both institutions have shared commonalities, and will deliver more efficiently on their respective mandates if there is mutual reinforcement, rather than acrimonious relationship anchored on preconceptions, misconceptions, prejudices and distrust against each other.”
He further explained that the newly created forum, which had majorly retired commissioners of police as its members, was focused on providing a veritable platform to the retired officers to critically examine contemporary issues and challenges affecting the police.
The retired Inspector General of Police also cautioned against disrespecting the office of the IGP, adding that the think-tank team was also expected to recommend pragmatic and actionable solutions and responses for optimal functionality of the Force in delivering on its mandate.
Arase added, “In the performance of my duty as the Chairman, PSC, I must admit, however, that the operational knowledge and independence of the IGP must be respected, without also conceding or undermining the powers of oversight of the PSC over the police.
“It is in the spirit of my averred belief of seeing the NPF and the PSC work cordially and harmoniously well for the overall betterment of the Nigeria Police Force, reinforced by my decision to focus on Security Sector Reforms, through training and retraining programmes, that I deemed it necessary to form a community of retired police officers, named, “Retired Officers’ Consultative Forum.
“The forum, therefore, aims at providing a veritable platform to the retired officers to critically examine contemporary issues and challenges affecting the NPF, and recommend pragmatic and actionable solutions and responses for optimal functionality of the Force in delivering on its mandate.
“It will also avail us the opportunity to leverage on our experiential knowledge, and advise the PSC and the NPF on policies and measures that will not only ensure a harmonious working relationship between the two institutions, but also reposition the NPF for greater efficiency and effectiveness in restoring its primacy in internal security in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the forum will also serve as a platform for eliciting interests, for possible recruitment of members who are interested in participating as resource persons in the training programmes of the Commission, for both members of the two institutions; as well as serving a recruitment platform for recommendation of qualified and competent retired officers for consideration of different appointments.”
