Okiro Backs Four Years Tenure for IG

Festus Akanbi

A former Inspector General of Police (IG), Mike Okiro, has thrown his weight behind the four years tenure for the IG.
Speaking yesterday on ARISE NEWS Channel, Okiro said four years would give the occupant of the office enough time to make and execute a strategic plan for the Nigeria Police.

“When the IG has a period of four years, he will be able to settle down and do whatever he has for the police before he leaves. If his tenure is short, he cannot plan for himself, let alone planning for the police,” he said.
Okiro recalled that when he was the IG, he recommended a tenure of four years for the IG to the President.
“I wrote a memo to the president. I gave these reasons, one, that the IG must have a definite term of four years so that he can plan his programme. I was there for two years. When I left, all the programmes I started were abandoned by my predecessors,” he said.

Reacting to the claims in some quarters that the four years tenure for the IG could affect the career progression of other senior officers and dampen their morale, Okiro debunked these claims.
“On the impact on the other ranks like the Deputy Inspectors General of police, this longevity issue would not have much impact on them. There’s only one person who can be IG. Meanwhile, we have like 30 people. Two people may come up as DIGs, and AIG. When it gets to their turn, they go but that should not stop the careers of officers in the police because the IG is given four years. If he is given two years, it is still the same thing and if it is one year, it is still the same thing. They have their career and when it is time to retire, they retire,” Okiro explained.

Speaking on the accusation by the Police Service Commission (PSC) that some officers doctored their age, he stated that such offence should not be an issue because there are disciplinary processes for such offenders.
“If any officer reduces his age and tenders it to the Police Service Commission, that is a falsehood. He will be queried and dealt with. That should not be an issue. We have ways of handling such matters,” he added.
Okiro also reacted to the suggestion by some people that the current IG should not have benefitted from the tenure elongation, saying that it is the responsibility of the government to fix the time the new tenure will take effect.

“It’s left for the government to choose to commence the implementation with someone in service or wait until a new IG comes with a new tenure of office. It’s left for the government to determine when to do it and when not to do it. There is no confusion at all. I wrote that memo to the President. I was not the IG then but I looked at the situation and said with two years, I can’t do much, and certain programmes I introduced were abandoned by my successors and it was not enough for anybody to do anything in the police force and moreso if an IG is not sure if the thing will be done or not then that is not the best.
“I put it there that if an IG would be removed it should be by two-third of the Senate; that will give him more stability to do his job.
“A lot of things need to be done for the Nigerian police. The police have been maligned, maltreated, and pushed aside. I don’t know why.

“When I was at the Police Service Commission, I found that within a period of five years, police lost 69,634 people without replacement. Many police stations were closed down.
“In a situation where we have young men and women, who are not employed going into crime and the strength of the police going down, it is bad news for Nigeria. No attention is paid to security in Nigeria because no attention is paid to the police. The welfare is not good. The salary cannot enable them to go home and come back to work. What do you expect from them? Equipment is not there; so, we have to wake up. “If you want security to go out and come in, then you must equip the security, the police especially, who are on the frontline of the entire security.”