Egbetokun Lauds NPTF for Boosting Morale in Police Force with Decent Accommodation

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has commended the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) for embarking on infrastructural projects aimed at providing decent accommodation for the police personnel.

He gave the commendation Tuesday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of an eight-man rank-and-file quarters at the Ozalla Divisional Police Headquarters of the Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force.

The IGP, represented by the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, said that the provision of decent accommodation for the rank and file would make profound impact on the NPF.

“More importantly, it will significantly boost morale, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the commitment of the benefiting officers to their constitutional duties,” he stated.

The IGP specially expressed gratitude to the Board and Management of NPTF for the “landmark project” aimed at provision of decent accommodation for police officers serving in Ozalla Division.

He noted that this intervention was coming at a time President Bola Tinubu administration, “has placed premium priority on comprehensive reforms in the Nigeria Police Force, especially in the critical areas of welfare and improved working conditions for officers across the federation”.

Egbetokun assured the NPTF that the NPF “will provide all necessary support to ensure that this project is completed within record time and deployed for its intended purpose”.

He also enjoined the contractors and engineers handling the project to uphold the highest standards of quality, professionalism, and integrity throughout the construction process.

On its part, the Enugu Command while expressing deep appreciation for the conception and implementation of the project, appealed to the NPTF to extend its interventions to other police facilities across the state.

CP Giwa cited the existing six-man rank-and-file quarters adjacent to the new project site, saying that it is in “a seriously dilapidated condition and requires urgent renovation”.

He also pointed that the Agbani Area Command, which oversees the Ozalla Division and six other Divisions, “is presently housed in a structure grossly unbefitting of an Area Command Headquarters”.

“There is therefore an urgent need for the construction of a purpose-built and befitting Headquarters for the Area Command,” Giwa said, adding that “several other divisional and area command offices and barracks across the state similarly require attention”.

The CP sincerely requested for the Trust Fund, in collaboration with the Officer-in-Charge of Works of the Enugu State Command, to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of these facilities to guide future remedial interventions”.