Juliet Akoje in Abuja
The House of Representatives yesterday urged the chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Inspector General of Police (IG) to strongly consider members of the community policing constabulary scheme (volunteers), who have diligently performed their duties, for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force.
It also urged the Minister of Interior and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to strongly consider the corps volunteers, who have diligently performed their duties, for recruitment into the Civil Defence Corps during recruitment exercises.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on the Need to Consider the Recruitment of Community Policing Constabulary Scheme and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps volunteers into the Nigeria Police Force and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) moved by Hon. Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi at plenary yesterday.
Abubakar recalled that there is a news platform in July 2019, where the then Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, after meeting with the former President, Muhammad Buhari, disclosed plans to use N power beneficiaries to kick start community policing in the country.
He noted that the proposal set up by the federal government and the 36 state governors to recruit 500,000 volunteers across the 774 local government areas of the country through the N power programme was designed to tackle the shortage of manpower in the Nigeria Police Force.
Also, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was initially formed in May 1967 during the civil war and operated majorly within the Federal Capital Territory of Lagos, initially referred to as the Lagos Civil Defence Committee in 1970, and the institution was named ‘the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ and became a national security outfit in 1988 and was officially established by Act 3 of 2003.
“The Nigerian Police Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, stated in August 24, 2022, that the volunteers working and trained by the Nigeria Police are not direct employees or personnel of the police but of their respective communities, hence not entitled to salary but allowances, according to News Agency of Nigeria, August 25, 2022.”
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his electioneering aimed at strengthening the Nigeria Police towards optimal functionality in resolving the security challenge in Nigeria, gave approval for the annual recruitment of 10,000 personnel into the Force.”
He further recalled that the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase, recently inaugurated an 11 man board saddled with the recruitment of police constables into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
According to him, “The implementation of community policing strategies across the country was to focus on building strong ties between the police and members of the communities through interactions with local agencies and members of the public, thus creating partnerships and strategies for reducing crime and disorder.
“The fact that the NSCDC was primarily established to protect lives, property, and public infrastructure in conjunction with Nigerian police, and due to the shortage of manpower experienced in the Police Force, the institution relies on volunteers who complement the efforts of regular corps members to effectively carry out their assigned roles and functions.”
The lawmaker, however, stressed the need to prioritise experience as a tool in Police and Civil Defence Corps recruitments and consider employing members of the community policing constabulary scheme (volunteers) and NSCDC volunteers who have demonstrated commendable performance during their recruitment.
The House consequently mandated its Committees on Police Affairs, Police Institutions and Interior to ensure compliance.
