By James Isaac, Abuja
A Bill for an Act to Establish the Police Service Commission Institute, to serve as a Centre for the Administration and Management of the Commission, and to determine the standard of knowledge and skill to be acquired by the personnel of the Police Service Commission in the oversight of the Nigeria Police Force functions passed second second reading in the Senate on Thursday.
Leading the debate on the bill ,the sponsor, Senator Abdulhamid, Mallam-Madori Ahmed (Jigawa North East) said that the bill is borne out of the desire to provide effective oversight,promote accountability,transparency and enhanced professionalism in the Nigerian Police Force.
According to him, The Nigeria Police Force as an institution that is saddled with the statutory role of maintaining law and order, protection of lives and property, as well as ensuring public safety, needed a structured oversight in order to ensure that personnel do not run foul of the law in the course of discharging their responsibility.
He posited that the Institute which is proposed to be headquartered in Kabo, Kano State when establish will aid the Police Service Commission, as the oversight body for the Nigeria Police Force in carrying out its mandate of managing the promotion, discipline, recruitment and general administration of the Nigeria Police Force.as well as maintaining personnel who are not only skilled in management but also well-versed in law enforcement procedures, human rights, and governance.
Objectively the institute seeks to,enhanced training for oversight functions, promote continuous professional development,assist in information dissemination, promote inter-agency and global cooperation,serve as a research center, skill development center, award degrees, collaborate with academic institutions as well as enhanced the relationship between police service commission and the nigeria police force
Highlighting the point for the establishment of the Police Service Commission Institute, the lawmaker reminded his colleagues about the existence of other specialized training institutions in Nigeria The Training and Research Institute (TRI) for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for the National Assembly, Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) for the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the National Judicial Institute (NJI) for the Judiciary.
Concluding the debate, he emphasized that the bill is not just about creating another institution but about creating a system that ensures accountability, professionalism, and effectiveness in our policing.,saying that with the establishment of the Institute, “we are making a bold statement that oversight in Nigeria will not be an afterthought but a core component of governance”.He stated.
