The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase, on Wednesday set up a special team comprising top retired police officers and saddled with the responsibilities of managing any conflict between the commission and the Nigeria Police Force.
The forum, tagged Retired Officers’ Consultative Forum, will play a think-tank role for the force and the PSC through dispassionate interrogation of issues, generation of ideas and proffering solutions on issues of Security Sector Reforms (SSR).
Speaking shortly after the team was constituted, Arase lamented that the rift between the commission and NPF has aggravated the level of distrust for the force, adding that the development is unhealthy and unhelpful to the national security of the country.
The PSC boss 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, however, explained that the newly created forum, which has mainly retired Commissioners of Police as its members, aims at providing a veritable platform to the retired officers to critically examine contemporary issues and challenges affecting the police.
The retired Inspector-General of Police, who cautioned against disrespecting office of the IGP, also said the think-tank team is also expected to recommend pragmatic and actionable solutions and responses, for optimal functionality of the force in delivering on its mandate.
He said, “In the performance of my duty as the Chairman, PSC, I must admit, however, that the operational knowledge and independence of the Inspector-General of Police must be respected, without also conceding or undermining the powers of oversight of the Commission over the police.
“It is in the spirit of my averred belief of seeing the NPF and 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 (SSR) through training and retraining programmes that I deemed it necessary to form a community of retired police officers, named; RETIRED OFFICERS CONSULTATIVE FORUM, that will act as the think tank for the Force and PSC, through dispassionate interrogation of issues, generation of ideas and proffering solutions on issues of SSR.
“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 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.”
